The Invasion Grows
by pyrotornado
Summary: When the Three Stooges from MIT reconstruct their deep-sea radar to search for underwater aliens, Ika Musume becomes enraged. After breaking the machine, however, things begin to move in ways none of the Lemon Shack crew are prepared for. Is Ika Musume really the only one of her kind? What will happen when the life she thought she left behind washes ashore? Just who is Ika Musume?
1. Won't you stay out of my home?

**Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters in Shinrakyu Ika Musume. I have no authority whatsoever in the literary world...Now that the formalities are out of the way, I do have plans to create a plethora of Original Characters, including new Fish-Hybrids. Near the end of the story, I have a question to pose to the readers. Please consider it in the reviews. This is not the first story I've ever written, but it is the first time I've ever tried to put something online. That's all I have to say, so please enjoy this Squid Girl FanFic!**

* * *

"The Invasion Grows"

By: pyrotornado

Chapter 1

_Won't you stay out of my home?_

The waves can be heard softly crashing into the beach outside, and the Lemon Shack is almost void of customers, save for Sanae and Goro. Ika Musume sighs as she brings Goro his third helping of fried rice. "Don't you have anything better to do today?" She remarked irritated. "You've been here all squidding day! Why aren't you working, degeso?" Goro shrugged lazily.

"Izokawa wanted to get some extra time on the clock, so I let him have my shift today." He dug into his rice. "I don't have any other plans so I figured I'd waste time here until dark." Ika-chan shook her head and cleaned up his plates. Walking over to the sink, she layed the dishes into the soapy water, where Eiko began to clean.

"Why doesn't he leave, geso?"

"If he wants to waste his paycheck here, I'm not complaining," Eiko shrugged. "Besides, since autumn is right around the corner, the beach should be coming to a close soon. That means we'll have less and less customers every day until we'll have to close shop for the winter. We'll need his money more than him soon!" Eiko clenched her fist, her financial spirit flaring. Ika-chan stared blankly at her ranting.

'Is the money all that she squidding cares about, geso?' She thought to herself. 'Humans can be so selfish at times.' As she walked away, one of her tentacles slithered into the pan with the shrimp they use for the rice. As she slyly walked towards the door, her appendage eased into the chilled container.

A sharp pain hit the squid as she quickly retracted her tentacle, or what was left of it. "You shouldn't be dipping into the food, Ika-chan…" Chizuru politely scolded as she worked the grill. "We wouldn't want you getting mixed up with the ingredients, would we?" She said cheerfully as she began to grill the recently acquired tentacle. Frightened, Ika Musume ran out the door in shame.

"Wasn't that a little harsh, aneki?" Eiko shook her head and sighed. "You didn't have to chop off the tentacle to stop her from stealing the shrimp." She looked down at the grill. "More like, why are you cooking it?"

Ika Musume ran all the way to the other end of the beach. Panting and out of breath, she realized that Chizuru had been messing around with her, although whether that was really the case was something she didn't really want to find out. As she plopped down in the gentle surf, she looked up at the sky and began to think.

'It's been almost a year since I came to the surface to invade, but what am I doing still working in the shop?' She thought back to when she first arrived on the surface, and about how little she had been prepared for what was waiting for her. Eiko, a human that treats her like a child; Takeru, a child that treats her like a toy; Sanae, the human that treats her as some kind of cute animal or pet; and Chizuru, the unstoppable warrior that is more of a predator than anything else in the ocean. Ika-chan shivered as she tried to compare the fear she felt from Chizuru to the fear she has of her natural enemies. 'She's not all bad I suppose…' She thought. 'At least she isn't as bad as…' her thoughts trailed off as she became lost in her memories of her life below the sea. Back to when she was no more than a little squid growing up with her family…

A tear fell from her eyes, and she shook her head. "No…I'm not going to think about it anymore, geso…" She stared out into the ocean she loved so much, trying to forget her past and focusing on the future that she's trying to make for herself now. Once again she laid on her back to watch the clouds roll by.

"Are you thinking about your home planet?" A particularly rude question to ask someone. No other person would ask her that.

"No, because I am not a squidding alien, geso!" She exclaimed as she sprang to her feet. She glared angrily at Cindy.

"Right, right…" Cindy shook her head, not really listening. "You were just forlornly watching the sky because you were hungry…" She put her hands on Ika's shoulders. "More importantly, it's fantastic that I saw you down here. We were just on our way to the Lemon to see you!"

Ika-chan took a step back. _We?_ Only one group hangs out with this space lunatic, the idiots from the lab. 'The ocean's right there! If I can get out deep enough, I might be able to -' Her thoughts were cut off as she was dragged by her arm. "Geeessssooo!" She cried out.

* * *

"So what is it this time?" Ika-chan sighed as she gave into the idiocy. "Another failed attempt at trying to prove I'm an alien, geso?" She stared judgingly at the supposed scientists.

"Not exactly," Harris replied as he rapidly punched in some computer code onto the console of their latest creation.

"We've actually decided that since it's been a while since we last tried to find aliens other than you, we would give our oceanic radar another try!" Martin explained as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "This time we're absolutely certain we'll find other fish-alien creatures like you!"

"Even though the last one exploded and almost sucked you and Miss Aizawa into a whirlpool, this time we're making sure that nothing like that happens again…" Clark grinned as he polished the surface of the machine.

"So there you have it," Cindy closed nonchalantly.

"What do I have to do exactly, geso?" Ika-chan asked cautiously.

"When we salvaged the machine last time, we discovered the dish hadn't been secured on the ocean floor. So we need someone to take it down and strap it to a level surface." Cindy explained. "That way, the machine won't spin out of control like last time."

Ika Musume looked disbelievingly at the Three Stooges and Cindy. "Let me get this straight, degeso…" Her face shadowed over and her aura turned dark. "Are you asking me to actually _help you_ pollute my home with more of your trash, you lowly humans?" Her tentacles began to wave around like snakes. "I let it go last time because it helped me regain the use of my squiblilities, geso…" She eyed them with the gaze of a viper. "But I clearly told you what would happen if you did anything like that again, didn't I, degeso?"

"Alright! Alright, just calm down…" Cindy put her hands up. "We didn't mean any offense, Ika-Seijin…"

"I AM NOT AN ALIEN!" She exclaimed as she swatted them off into the distance. As soon as they were out of sight, she sighed. "Other fish-people? What is that about anyway, geso? I'm a normal squid, not some alien or hybrid, gesso…" She took one last look at the machine before running back to the Lemon Shack.

* * *

One week later, Ika and Eiko were moving some boxes to the dumpsters when a slight chilly wind blew through. "Autumn is right around the corner, after all…" Eiko rubbed her arms for warmth. She took a look at Ika Musume, who was still wearing her normal clothes. "I've been meaning to ask, aren't you cold at all?"

"Eh?" She looked confused. "Not really, I think I'm more worried about drying out that I am of freezing…" She replied normally. "The humidity in the air is much lower when it gets colder…"

"Where did you hear that?" Eiko stepped back, wondering where she got her information.

"The guy on the television said so…" She answered. Before she could continue, however, a loud crash interrupted her. "What the kraken was that, geso?"

"It came from the beach, let's go!" Eiko ran towards the beach, with Ika-chan close behind her. As they got to the beach a crowd of onlookers had stopped to stare at the sight from the street above. "Pardon us!" Eiko pushed her way through the crowd, pulling Ika-chan with her. As they reached the stairs, they realized what the commotion was about.

"Yahoo!" A voice rang out. The three idiots had another of their monstrous contraptions sitting there on the beach. It looked like a supercomputer with legs, and it was connected to an array of screens. "We've done it! The system is up and running!"

"What are you stupid 'geniuses' up to now?" Eiko sighed as she cautiously made her way towards them, with Ika-chan right behind her. As they got closer, they saw on the monitors what seemed to be a map of some kind.

"Hmhmhmhm!" Cindy chuckled. "This our Ocean-Creature Alert System, or OCAS for short. We've designed it to only respond to Ocean-Beings like the Ika-Seijin."

"Huh?" Eiko eyed her accusingly. "Again? Didn't you already try this?" Ika-chan started to narrow her eyes, starting to suspect something she didn't want to hear.

"Yes, but we can't be deterred by one mistake," Clark replied. "We've set up an entire network of relays to give us signals and a supersized radar pulse inducer to give us locations." He motioned to the screens. "This entire stretch of beachfront is lined with our relays, which will-"

Before he could continue, a loud crash interrupted him. Ika Musume had pierced the monitors with her tentacles. "So you did pollute the ocean again, didn't you gesso!" She snapped, eyes engulfed in rage. "I told you bozos last week I didn't want you doing this, but you went ahead and did it anyway, gesso! Well, I won't be letting this slide, degeso!" Ika Musume dashed towards the ocean, diving headfirst into the waters.

Eiko whistled, impressed with Ika-chan's outburst. "Boy, are you three going to get it when she gets back." She teased, but the three stooges had already run off, leaving Cindy and Eiko on the beach. "Ah, they ran away."

"Why is she so adamant about this anyway?" Cindy questioned. "I could understand if we tried to dump garbage into the ocean, but this is in the name of science."

"It doesn't matter," Eiko explained. "Ika Musume doesn't like it when humans put their stuff into the ocean. Whether they have good or bad intentions doesn't matter, she just wants to preserve the ocean as it is." Cindy looked over at Eiko.

"I'm impressed, Miss Aizawa," She smiled. "You seem to know more about the Ika-Seijin than I do!"

Eiko blushed and scratched her head, "It's not like that, she just won't shut up about her mission and world conquest…" She paused. "Personally, I wish she would talk a little about her own past. When we celebrated her birthday, she didn't even know how old she was."

"Considering what little knowledge she had of the human world, it's safe to assume that contact with the Lemon Shack was her first time interacting with humans." Cindy thought aloud. "Her coming to the Lemon Shack might have saved the world, you know?"

"How so?"

"Consider this; she has a multitude of fantastic abilities, including ten tentacles that could easily destroy an unprepared city." She smirked. "If we also take into account her learning curve, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if she ever seriously tried to learn a fighting style, weapon development, or political empowerment, conquering the world wouldn't be that far of a stretch." Cindy nodded, feeling like she was on a roll. "If she had come ashore anywhere else I doubt anyone would have been able to stop her like Chizuru-san did."

"You've got that right…" Eiko chuckled lightly at the memory of when Chizuru struck fear into Ika-chan for the first time. As she did, the squid herself returned from the ocean, dragging behind her the device, or what was left of it.

"Take this trash back to the lab with you, degeso…" She said grimly. Using her tentacles, she dropped the heavy pile of wreckage onto the beach. "Tell those three sardines that I won't be as merciful on them as I was on the machine the next time they try this, degeso…" She strutted away, proud of how menacing she sounded. Eiko, however, didn't buy her tough girl act for a minute, but she was impressed at how thoroughly trashed the machine was.

She and Ika-chan headed back to the Lemon, while all but one of the onlookers dispersed. She wore a puffy, red hat, a flowing red sundress, and a pink jacket. She stared with a melancholic look in her eyes out into the ocean. "If only these days of peace would continue forever…" She sighed drearily. Her gaze turned to the figures of Ika Musume and Eiko Aizawa as they walked down the beach. "The door has been opened, and now it is time for you to step through it, Kanabe-san…"

* * *

**Okay, here's my question. I'm having a little trouble coming up with a name for Ika-chan. Ika Musume isn't necessarily hard to write, but for the sake of my story, she has a true name, like Tanabe Kozue (Tako Musume). I am particularly fond of Isumi Kanabe, but I'd like to hear what my readers have to say. I'll try to work on the story when I can, but my job and schoolwork might keep be busy later on. Thank you for your support.**

***UPDATE* The names has been set in stone. No more suggestions will be listened to.**


	2. Is it really you?

**Author's Note: I do not own Ika Musume...I seriously don't have any more to say other than enjoy the story.**

* * *

"The Invasion Grows"

By: pyrotornado

Chapter 2

_Is it really you?_

Ika Musume stretched her arms out, cracking her joints as she returned to the Lemon Shack. Chizuru, who had been chopping lettuce, turned to greet them. "Welcome back," She smiled. "Did we manage to get the trash thrown out in time to be picked up?"

"Yeah, there wasn't any problem," Eiko answered. As she did, her gaze fell upon a white device over the kitchen area. A red light was flashing on and off in quick succession. "Oh, did you install a new smoke alarm, Aneki?" She questioned. "I think it would be more useful away from the stove."

Chizuru looked to where Eiko had mentioned. "Oh no," She laughed softly. "That isn't a smoke alarm. The scientists from the lab asked if I would keep it in the shop as part of their research." Eiko stepped back, stunned.

"And you let them?" She yelled. "Who knows what that thing is! It could be a bomb for all we know!"

"Now now…" Chizuru waved it aside. "I don't think they would put something like that in my shop." She opened her eyes slightly. "If they value their lives in any way…" She took another look at it. "Funny thing, though…" She said worriedly.

"What is?" Ika-chan asked as she cleaned off a table with her tentacles.

"It wasn't flashing like that earlier; I wonder what it is…" A piercing scream resounded from the beach. Ika Musume rushed outside to see what was happening just in time to crash into something.

"What is it, degeso?" She rubbed her head and turned to see her attacker. She saw a girl wearing a wetsuit scared out of her mind.

"Nagisa-san?" Chizuru strode over to the two. "I thought you took the day off to go surfing?" She asked as she helped her up.

"I-I-I-I was! I mean I did!" She stuttered as she tried to form a sentence. "I was out in the ocean when something brushed my leg and tried to pull me under!" She looked accusingly at Ika Musume. "I know it was you, you Squid Person!"

"No I didn't!" She answered reflexively. Then she realized that she could use this as an opportunity to scare Nagisa again. "Just so you know," She said haughtily. "If I wanted to pull you into the ocean, I wouldn't have allowed you to scream the way you did, degeso…" She laughed evilly, relishing Nagisa's scared reaction.

"That's enough Ika Musume!" Eiko scolded. "You were with me the whole time…wait a minute…" She narrowed her eyes. "Didn't you just go out into the ocean to destroy that thing the Three Stooges made?" Ika-chan now realized that her plan had backfired.

"I didn't mess with her, okay!" She defended. "I only went to the machine and brought it back, geso! I couldn't fish her leg from that distance if I wanted to, degeso!" She crossed her arms in defiance.

Eiko sighed. "There you have it," She turned to Nagisa, who still wasn't convinced.

"I saw the Squid Person's tentacles!" She retorted angrily. "Even though it wasn't as clear as usual today, I saw a blue tentacle grab onto my leg as I was surfing a pipe!" She shuddered as she remembered. "The surprise caused me to wipe out, and I had something tugging at my leg as I tried to swim to the surface." Nagisa was adamant today.

"I didn't grab your squiddle leg, degeso!" Ika Musume replied insulted. "Why would I go out of my way to harass you on your day off, anyway?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"That's right," said a voice. Everyone turned to see Sanae strut in carrying a magnifying glass and a camera.

"What are you doing, Sanae?" Eiko asked blankly.

"Hmhmhm!" She chuckled. "It seems as though someone is trying to frame Ika-chan for the murder of Nagisa-san…"

"I'm not dead, though…." Nagisa cried softly.

"But I, Detective Sanae, intend to solve this case and win Ika-chan's undying love!" She fantasized aloud. Ika sighed.

"No…It ain't gonna happen, degeso…" Ika Musume just waved her off as she went back to cleaning the tables.

"First of all," Sanae continued unhindered. "Nagisa-san!" She got close to her face with a serious look. "Are you absolutely certain that it was a tentacle that grabbed you, and not just a piece of trash?" She inquired.

"Of course I am!" She snapped. "It was slithering and moving…" She shivered in disgust. "And it actually gripped onto my leg!" She brought her leg up to show where she had been grabbed. Right above the ankle was a light red mark that circled her leg and part of her foot. "See? It even bruised it!"

"Hmm…" Eiko looked closely at the mark. "Ika Musume," She called. "Let me see one of your tentacles for a sec."

"Eh!" She groaned, but complied as she extended one over to the tables, while Nagisa tried to cower back away from the appendage.

"Hold still for a second, Nagisa…" She placed the mark and the tentacle side-by-side and compared them. For almost a minute, Sanae, Eiko, and Chizuru examined the marking before they finally let the tentacle go. "It's a tentacle marking alright…"

"I knew it!" Nagisa shrieked.

"Just not Ika Musume's tentacle…" Eiko concluded. The Lemon Shack went silent.

"What do you mean?" Nagisa quivered, about ready to burst into tears.

"Ika-chan's tentacles are larger than the markings on your leg," Sanae explained. "Even if we take shrinkage due to the water temperature and the time it took you to get here, the evidence doesn't match up."

"The evidence doesn't…" Nagisa started to get angry. "The Squid Creature is the only one who has tentacles like that!" She yelled. "Who else could it possibly be?" She was about to reach her breaking point, even Ika-chan realized that. But all that anger, all that confusion, instantly dissipated in a second…with the utterance of one voice.

"Um…excuse me?" piped a shy, quiet voice from the entrance of the shack. All eyes turned to see who it was. Hiding behind one of the shack's support posts was a little girl in a white dress. She didn't look to be a day over six years old, and she had the face of a little scared angel. But that wasn't what surprised everybody. On top of the little girl's head was a white hat that looked exactly like Ika Musume's….and ten tiny blue tentacles…

Dumbfounded, Eiko was the first to say anything. "No way…." She muttered.

"My my my!" Chizuru smiled widely at the sight of the miniature Ika Musume in the doorway.

Sanae collapsed onto the floor, blood gushing from her nose at an alarming rate, while Nagisa fainted on top of her.

"Um…I'm very sorry if I was interrupting anything, geso…" The timid girl cowered further behind the post. "I…just wanted to…um…apologize for scaring that onee-san from before, geso…" She blushed bright red as she tried to get her words out.

"Hold on," Eiko shook her head and tried to collect her thoughts. "That was you?" She tried to wrap her head around the thought that yet another Ika Musume has come to shore and she just so happened to bump into the one person in town that would actually be scared of her.

"It's alright," Chizuru casually made her way towards the little Squid girl, trying not to frighten her off. "No one is mad at you…" She cooed as she got closer to her, getting on her knees about five feet away from her. "That's a very good girl for being so polite…" She smiled as the girl gathered the courage to come further into the Shack.

"Well what do you know…" Eiko scratched her head. "So you weren't the only one of your kind, huh Ika Musume?" She turned to see how Ika-chan would react. Knowing how she had reacted every other time to what she thought were her brethren, Eiko thought that she would instantly get excited over meeting another Ocean-Dweller. Like when Takeru tried to pretend to be another Squid Person, or when the Southern Winds guy tried to market the fake Ika Musume heads as a mascot.

None of those reactions were on Ika-chan's face. Tears dripped from her widened eyes as she cautiously made her way closer to the little girl. Sanae and Nagisa regained consciousness just in time to join the rest of the group in witnessing this spectacle as Ika Musume collapsed to her knees in front of the girl. Ika Musume shakily reached her hand out to pat the girl on the head, tears continuing to flow like a faucet. "Are you…" She managed to choke out. "…Erika?"

The little girl's eyes widened as a sudden realization hit her, and she began to cry too. Her tentacles reacted to her emotions and softly squeezed down on Ika Musume's arm. "Isumi onee-sama?" She asked, scared that her mind might be playing a trick on her.

No more words needed to be said. In that instant, the two sisters embraced each other, crying out in fits and sobs as the truth set in: They were no longer alone.

* * *

**Well, how about that? Looks like the Lemon Shack is about to get twice as crazy now that the Squid Sisters have been reunited! But why does this little one seem so scared when her sister was so confident her first time on the surface? And why did she attack Nagisa to begin with? All shall be revealed during the next chapter!**


	3. Won't you reunite?

**Author's Note: Funny story. I wrote this entire chapter while trying to fix my current insomnia problem. Hopefully it isn't ranting or strange. The original idea for Erika was that she would be so secluded and so introverted that it would make it hard to get her out of her shell. I scrapped that idea mid-story, so here's the third chapter. *insomnia sucks***

* * *

"The Invasion Grows"

By: pyrotornado

Chapter 3

_Won't you reunite?_

"Ahem!" Ika Musume coughed. "Allow me to introduce you…" She motioned towards the little squid girl in the chair. "This is my long lost little sister, Erika!" Erika blushed as everyone's eyes turned towards her. Sanae, still trying to recover from her nosebleed, smiled like an idiot as she took plenty of mental pictures.

"She's absolutely adorable, Ika-chan!" Without any warning, Sanae leapt from her seat towards the defenseless Erika.

"Kya!" Erika squealed as she covered her body with her tentacles.

"Leave her alone, degeso!" Ika Musume whipped her tentacles harder than usual at the oncoming Sanae, tossing her into the ocean. Erika peeked out from behind her little barrier, but refused to come out.

"Thank you, Isumi-oneesama…" She said timidly, still a little shaken up.

Eiko raised her eyebrow. "Isumi?" She scratched her head. "Is that your name?"

"Huh?" She retracted her tentacles. "It is. What of it, geso?"

Eiko's eye twitched. "You had an actual name all this time!" She bellowed. "Why didn't you tell us?" She clenched her fists. "We've been calling you 'Ika Musume' all this time because we thought it was your name! Why didn't you just tell us your name from the beginning?"

Isumi looked down in shame. "It's a long story, degeso…" She sighed, turning to Erika. "More importantly, Erika…" The little squid poked her head out. "Where have you been all this time? What happened to the rest of our siblings?" Erika started to tear up. "What happened to Maria? And Lulu?" Erika shook her head. Isumi's eyes began to water as well. "I…I see…"

"I'm sorry, oneesama," Erika choked out. "I've been all alone since that day…" The tears were pouring out now. "I…I tried to be strong like you always were, but…" She tried to control her tentacles, but they wouldn't extend more than two feet away from her. "I'm just too little, geso! I did everything I could just to stay alive, geso!" Isumi embraced her sister.

"I went back…" She replied. "I went back to that place many times, looking for you…looking for anybody, degeso…" She looked her in the eye. "But I never found anyone, and eventually the site became littered with garbage, geso…" She hung her head in shame. "If only I had known, I would have searched harder for you. I wouldn't have stopped till I found you, degeso!"

Chizuru, who had been watching patiently with everyone else. "Ika…no, Isumi-san?" She corrected herself. "Would you mind telling us this story?" Isumi shook her head.

"Maybe some other time, degeso…" She wiped her tears away. "Right now, I think I'll continue the introductions…" She didn't have much time to prepare for anything as Sanae burst back into the shop, dripping wet with a large lump on her head.

"Hello!" She introduced herself to Erika. "My name is Sanae, and I'm going to be your sister-in-law somed-ack!" Isumi smacked her on the head again, this time knocking her out.

"This is Sanae, geso…" She sighed exhaustedly. "She's nice, but really annoying, degeso!" She raised her finger. "Stay away from her as much as you can, okay degeso?" She warned. Erika nodded as she listened intently. "Next is…"

Eiko and Chizuru walked over to the sisters. "My name is Eiko Aizawa."

"And I'm Chizuru Aizawa," She smiled. "Your big sister has really made a difference in this area." Chizuru patted Erika on the head as she smiled. "You should feel very proud." Erika hesitantly nodded, as if she was staring at a predator.

Isumi leaned down next to Erika. "Don't be deceived by her kind looks, degeso…" She warned. "She may look weak, but she's the strongest one here!" She shuddered. "Suffice it to say, she's stronger than me, geso…"

"Eh!" Erika's eyes widened. "Stronger than you, onee-sama?"

Isumi nodded, ashamed. "The next human is…" She pointed to Nagisa, who was cowering behind a table. "Nagisa."

"We've met!" She yelled out hysterically. "She tried to drown me, remember! Have you all forgotten that!"

Erika twiddled her tentacles around each other in a way that could only be described as strange in a cute way. "I'm very sorry if I scared you, Nagisa-oneesan." She replied shyly. "I was caught in a wayward current and got washed into a wave." She explained. "When I tried to regain my balance, I latched onto your leg by mistake, degeso…"

"Then…why did you try to pull me under?" Nagisa took a brave step out from behind the table.

"I wasn't!" She insisted. "I was trying to swim away, but my tentacles got tangled in the wave, geso!" She explained as she waved them around. Nagisa jumped back in terror.

"Alright, I got it!" She whimpered. "J-J-Just don't go latching onto people again!" She panicked and ran out the door. Erika just blinked.

"What's wrong with Nagisa-oneesan, geso?" She asked innocently.

"Hmhm?" Isumi got an evil glint in her eye. "This just got twice as fun…" She muttered. "Nagisa's just shy around new people," She lied to her sister. "If you allow her to get to know you, she'll be really nice to you!" She grinned.

"Okay, onee-sama!" Erika agreed happily.

"You are evil." Eiko sighed appalled.

* * *

Later that night, Isumi and Erika watched the stars from the Eiko's bedroom window. "They're pretty, onee-sama!" Erika exclaimed. "Do you get to see views like this every night?"

"Uh-huh!" Isumi replied. "But you have to be careful about walking on dry land at night, because insects are a pain to deal with even for me…" Isumi had spent the entire day explaining everything that happened to her since she came to the surface. About the scientists who thought she was an alien, about her trips to school, and about her plans for invasion.

"Ne ne," Erika asked. "Can I help you invade the surface world, too, onee-sama?"

"Of course!" Isumi pulled Erika close. "Now that we've been reunited, nothing will stand in our way, degeso!" Suddenly, the door opened.

"Alright," Eiko wiped the sweat from her forehead. "We've finished with the bedroom. Do you two want to see it?" Like a couple of children, the Ika sisters bounded down the hall towards the bedroom that had been prepared for Isumi once before.

As the Aizawa family happily welcomed its newest addition, a flashing light could be seen from the Lemon Shack. The device the scientists had set up was once again flashing on and off. From the gently rolling surf of the ocean a figure was watching the coastline.

"So…the little squid finally found her big sister, sa," it said, grinning with a row of super sharp teeth. "I knew letting the little one go would eventually lead me to the one I've been looking for, saru." The figure stared at the shore. "Land, huh? How long has it been since I used these legs for more than just swimming, saru?" The figure slowly made its way along the beach, searching for an ideal hunting ground. The prey? Squid.

* * *

**Oh crap. Something's coming to munch on the Squid Sisters! Will Isumi be able to fend off this new predator? Or will someone else be coming to the rescue?**


	4. Won't you fight?

**Author's Note: Well, my insomnia seems to have gotten better, but now I've relapsed into sleeping late every morning. I need to fix my sleep schedule before I need to go back to school.**

**As for the story, Erika and Isumi have grown very close in the short time they've been reunited. We can only hope that this new threat won't tear this family apart again, just as they found each other again.**

* * *

"The Invasion Grows"

By: pyrotornado

Chapter 4

Won't you fight?

"Toss it this way, Erika-chan!" Takeru instructed.

"Aye, Takeru-niisan!" Erika tried to use her tentacles to toss a large beach ball, but the weight of the orb was too much for her, causing her to fall back. "It's too heavy, geso!" she cried.

"Oh boy…" Takeru sighed as he ran over to help her up. He had been put in charge of looking after Erika while Isumi was working. However, because it was getting close to autumn, there were less people coming to the beach. Rather than risk a chilling dip in the ocean tide, Takeru had opted to teach the little squid girl beach volleyball. "Maybe we should have started with something a little smaller." As he picked up the ball, he realized that Erika was not underneath. "Huh? Erika-chan?" He called as he lifted the ball above his head.

"Heh heh!" He heard giggling above him. Somehow, Erika was so light, Takeru didn't even realize she had clung to the ball as he picked it up. "Did I scare you, degeso?" She grinned as she sat on her knees on top of the ball.

"Yeah yeah," Takeru shook his head with relief, knowing what the girls would do to him if Erika got lost or hurt. "You're ridiculously light, Erika-chan." He inquired. "Can't you change your weight like Ika-neechan? You might be able to lift the ball then." Erika shook her head.

"I can't, degeso…" She replied. "The bracelets Isumi-oneesama wears are one-of-a-kind, geso." Erika hopped down onto the sand, looking sadly at the ground. "They…belonged to mama, geso…."

"Mama?" Takeru asked, curious to hear the little squid's story.

Erika shook her head. "C'mon, Takeru-niichan!" She called happily as she ran down the beach. "I'll race you back to the shop!" Bewildered, Takeru chased after her.

* * *

"Ah…" Isumi groaned as she slumped over the table. "No one is coming today, degeso…"

"Really…" Eiko sighed, looking at the clock. "It may be time to close the shop for the winter." As she said that, she heard the sound of footsteps on the floorboard. "Welcome!" She greeted with a smile as she turned around.

"Hello!" Said an American voice. Cindy strutted into the Shack, wearing blue shorts, and her usual bikini top with a red jacket. She was also wearing her glasses today.

"Oh, it's just you…" Eiko sighed as she walked over. "What will you be having today, Cindy-san?" She asked in a proper waitress tone.

"I'll just have the usual, thanks..." She replied plainly, sitting at her favorite table. "I'm also here to check up on…" she trailed off as she noticed the device on the wall. "How long has that been active?" She asked wide eyed, pointing at the smoke-detector-like device above the stove.

"Huh?" Chizuru looked up at the object in question. "Oh that? Since around three yesterday…" She put her finger to her cheek in thought. "Around the same time Erika-chan showed up, now that I think about it…"

"Erika?" Cindy didn't have to wait long for an explanation as the little girl in question came bounding through the door.

"I win!" She exclaimed happily, hopping up and down. "I beat you, Takeru-niisan!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Takeru sighed. He had actually passed her three times, but each time she would end up sulking, so he had to let her catch up. _She's more selfish than Ika-neechan…_ He thought to himself. Erika bounded over to Isumi, grinning from ear to ear.

"Isumi-oneesama!" She clung to her big sister's leg. "I beat a human in a race on land! Did I do good?" Isumi used her tentacles to lift her little sister onto a chair.

"Yes," She patted her on the head, smiling proudly. "You are doing a great job in your invasion training!"

Cindy just sat there, stunned. "When did the Ika-Seijin spawn an offspring?" She asked breathlessly.

"That isn't her kid, you nut…" Eiko placed Cindy's beer in front of her. "Somehow, Ika Musume's little sister got washed up on our beach. Scared Nagisa right out of her wetsuit almost…" She snickered. Cindy wasted no time as she leapt from her seat towards Isumi.

"So the experiment was a success after all, Ika-Seijin!" She exclaimed as she got a better look at Erika. "I trust you'll allow your child to be treated by our lab staff, right?"

"No way," She picked Erika up with her tentacles, raising her out of Cindy's reach. "I'm not gonna let _my_ little sister get anywhere near you lunatics, degeso!" Erika squealed with delight, not sure what was happening.

"Yay!" She cried. "I can fly, degeso!" Cindy continued to try and grab the little squid, but to no avail.

"Fine, have it your way…" She sighed dejected. "In the meantime, I'll be looking into the other one…" She glanced up at the device.

"Other one?" Eiko asked. "What other one? What is that device anyway?"

Cindy smirked, as though she was flaunting her own brilliance. "This is one of our relay signals for the OCAS system that the Ika-Seijin destroyed the other day." She answered. "That flashing light means that there is still a Fish-Hybrid in the vicinity!"

"You mean…" Eiko gasped. "They're really are more of Ika Musume's kind out there?" She rushed to the entrance, gazing out at the ocean. "Are you for real?"

"Yes," Cindy replied as she double checked the device's wires. "The OCAS system had two components to it: a vicinity alert and a location alert." She pointed to the OCAS alert device. "The original plan was to have this be a warning system if any Fish-Hybrids were in the area. Once one was detected, we would be able to pinpoint its location using the radar pulse array, however…" She gave Isumi a foul look. "Someone broke the radar system, so all we can say is that something that is neither fish or human is swimming around out there…" A glint of hope registered on Isumi's face.

"Maybe it's another member of our family, Erika…" She brought her sister to eye level.

"Um…" Erika fumbled her fingers. "I'm…not so sure, Onee-sama…" She replied sadly. "Right before I was washed into the turf, I thought I was being followed by something really scary, geso…"

"Huh?" Isumi scratched her head. "Scary how, degeso?"

"It felt like…" She shivered as she tried to explain. "Like…I was being hunted, degeso…" Isumi noticed her sister's discomfort, and sought to lighten her spirits.

"Hmph," She sat Erika on top of the table. "It doesn't matter what kind of predator may be out there, degeso…" She pounded her chest. "For I am Ika Musume, protector of the ocean, geso!"

"Eh…?" Said a young, female voice. "Protector of the Ocean, you say?" Everyone turned around trying to find the source of the voice. Suddenly, Chizuru sensed something.

"Get down, everyone!" She yelled out. Confused, everyone got to their knees, just as a large chunk of the kitchen wall was ripped away.

"What in the…" Eiko coughed.

"Wah!" Erika clung to Isumi in a death grip. "I'm scared, Onee-sama!"

"What the kraken is that, geso?" Isumi formed a protective barrier around Erika using her tentacles.

As the dust settled, a figure walked through the rubble. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the newcomer. She seemed to be a girl around Eiko's age and height. She had pale grey hair and a grin lined with super sharp teeth. On the back of her neck, she had what appeared to be a grey fin. She was wearing a black muscle shirt and torn blue jeans, both soaking wet, and she was bare-foot. "And just what makes you think _prey_ deserves to be the protector of anything, saru?"

Cindy stared wide-eyed at the new arrival. "Another alien?" She muttered. "My god, this is turning into an outright invasion after all…"

Chizuru, who had jumped Takeru out of the way, scooted over to Eiko and Cindy. "I don't think this is a good time for that, Cindy-san…" She warned. "This one seems to be much stronger than Isumi-san…"

"What does that mean, Aneki?" Eiko asked. "Are you saying you might not be able to take her?" Chizuru got into a starting dash position.

"It means…" She opened her eyes slightly. "Get out as soon as you see a chance…" She held her ground waiting to make her move.

The strange ocean-dweller wandered around the interior of the shop, looking around. As she did, everyone simply scooted further away from her. "This is a pretty shabby base of operations you have here," She taunted. "Miss Protector of the Sea, saru…" She wandered back over to the kitchen area. "Hmm…" She scanned the counter-top. "What would go best with _fried squid_, saru…" She licked her lips.

Isumi started to shake uncontrollably, faced with a terror she had only known during her time back in the ocean. She wanted to run away. She wanted to get as far away from this predator as her feet could take her. She wanted to…but…

"Onee-sama…" Erika clutched Isumi's dress. "I'm scared, geso…" In that instant, Isumi stopped shaking. In place of her fear was an overwhelming sense of protective-ness that surpassed all that her instincts for survival.

"What do you want from us, degeso?" Isumi bravely asked, waving for Erika to go to Eiko and Takeru. She reluctantly scuttled over to the Aizawa's. "If it's food you want, just take what's in the fridge and leave, geso…" She readied her tentacles, preparing to spear the predator at a moment's notice.

"Hmhmhm…" She chuckled. "Food? Now why would I go through all the trouble to waltz onto dry land looking for something as plentiful as food, saru?" She motioned to the ocean behind her. "The sea is huge, I could find any fish at all and eat it raw and I wouldn't even have to use my legs, saru…" She picked up the kitchen knife, eyeing it like it was a rare toy. "Humans, however, have to prepare their food carefully, don't they, saru?" She started stabbing the knife randomly into the cutting board. "They slice it, dice it, fry it, grill it, bake it, steam it, and even grind it into tiny pieces until they're satisfied, saru!" She broke the knife on the board, tossing it to the ground in anger. "Do you see where I'm going with this, saru?" She eyed Isumi hungrily.

"N-not really, geso…" Isumi stuttered, taken aback by how crazy the fish-girl was talking.

The predator rolled her eyes, as though she had explained her point but nothing was conveyed. "I've come to the surface world to expand my diet, little squid…" She grinned psychotically. "I've become tired of eating nothing but fish every day of my life, saru…" She grimaced. "But my plans had to be put on hold, as I travelled the seas looking for a shore to make landfall, I came to understand something about the humans that inhabit the surface, saru. There are many more humans than there are Ocean Walkers, and that is a problem, saru…"

'Ocean….Walkers?' Cindy made a mental note as the predator rambled on.

"They outnumber us a million to one, saru!" She continued. "Even if we all team up, they'd wipe us out before we reached land, saru!" She grinned. "That's where you come in…. eldest daughter of Dr. Kanabe!"

"Huh!" Cindy gasped. "_The _Dr. Kanabe!" She exclaimed.

"Who's that?" Eiko asked, putting her hand over Cindy's lips.

"Dr. Kanabe was-" Cindy started, but was interrupted by the predator.

"Now that we understand one another, saru…" She closed in on Isumi, who managed to stand her ground. "I'm sure you know what I'm here for, saru…" She pointed at the bracelets around Isumi's wrists. "Give them to me, and I won't eat you, saru…" She bared her teeth.

"Sorry, geso…" She jumped back. "I don't trust anyone who doesn't even give their name first, degeso!" As soon as she landed on her feet, her tentacles latched onto the tables around her, slamming them down onto the predator.

Chizuru took that as her chance to attack as the predator was knocked back by the impact, aiming a razor chop at the girl. As she made contact with the predator's skin, however, a sharp pain rocked her entire arm.

"Didn't you know, human?" She grinned. "A shark's skin is rougher than sandpaper, and twice as sensitive, saru…" She gripped Chizuru's arm, twisting it around. "So that ripping hurt, saru!" She took a large bite into Chizuru's arm.

"Gyah!" She screamed in agony as she tried to pry herself away from the Shark girl. Using her other hand, she landed a punch square in her nose.

"Ow!" She grunted. "You worthless piece of meat, saru!" The Shark girl tossed Chizuru out onto the sand, where she lay bleeding out.

"Aneki!" Eiko shrieked, running over to help her sister.

"Chizuru!" Isumi cried out. She then turned back to the Shark girl, who started licking her lips of Chizuru's blood. "How dare you, geso…"

"You wanted to know my name, saru?" The predator licked her finger, as though she had just enjoyed a delicious meal. "If you claim to be the 'Ika' Musume, saru," She grinned, enjoying the irony of the whole situation. "I guess that would make me the _Same Musume_, saru…" She leapt towards Isumi once again. "Satsuki Mendere!"

* * *

**Oh...crud... This looks really bad. Chizuru just got her arm ripped apart by a shark bite! I know a few Chizuru fans out there are screaming right now that "Chizuru should have been able to toss that Shark right through the stone wall next to the shack!" or "She should have been able to break the sharks teeth with her muscles alone!"**

**Look. The truth is...Chizuru is human. She has superhuman reflexes and strength, but she isn't Wonder Woman or She-Hulk. Chances are that she served some of her teenage years as a member of Japan's special forces and learned her inhuman martial arts through diligent training just like anyone else has to.**

**However, all of this is _my_ speculation because the writer of Shinrakyu Ika Musume hasn't told us her story yet. The same could be said of all the characters because lets face it, it's a comedy show. They are that way purely for comical reasons. This is my story, but I will not claim ownership of any of the characters from the manga or anime.**

**Please review not only my story, but my incessant rantings as well.**


	5. Won't you protect?

**Author's Note: My biggest hurdle that I face when dealing with stories like these is the transition from one chapter to another. This was one of those times. I put a lot of thought and effort into making action sequences that end in cliffhangers, like the last chapter, blend seamlessly into the next one, without any awkward repetition or cutting away to another scene. Obviously, I still need practice when it comes to situations like this, but that's why I joined this site to begin with. In any case, enjoy this fight to the greatest extent possible. The epic duel between Shark and Squid starts now!**

* * *

"The Invasion Grows"

By: pyrotornado

Chapter 5

Won't you protect?

Isumi ducked away as Same Musume lunged directly towards her. As she did, Satsuki collided with the wall, creating a large hole. "That's right, prey," She cackled. "Keep running away, saru! That's all little squids like you can do when faced with a predator like me, saru!" She turned around and charged straight at Isumi again.

As she quickly looked around, Isumi went over her options in her head, making sure to dodge Satsuki each time. 'This is insane, degeso!' She thought to herself. 'I can't beat a shark in the water, let alone on land, geso!' As she dodged Satsuki a third time, she began to notice a pattern. "Huh?" She gasped as she tripped over a leg from one of the tables she threw earlier.

"Now you're mine, saru!" With a glint in her eye, Satsuki lunged with fangs wide open. Thinking fast, Isumi resorted to her second line of defense. She puckered her lips and sprayed her ink directly into Satsuki's face. In that instant, Isumi rolled to the left, just as Same Musume embedded her teeth into the floorboard.

"You seaky bithe, aru!" She cursed loudly as she tried to blindly pry her face from the floor. Not wanting to waste a moment, Isumi wove her tentacles around the Shark Girl's limbs, attempting to bind her. After violently thrashing on the floor, however, Satsuki managed to rip herself away from the floorboards….but at a cost.

Isumi could hardly keep herself from laughing at the site of the _toothless_ Satsuki. Angrily, the shark used her feet to lunge her body directly into Isumi's stomach. "Gah!" She coughed up another spray of ink as she was launched onto the beach.

"Hammerhead Skull, saru…." Satsuki grinned as she strutted out onto the sand. As she did, her teeth were already beginning to grow back. "And a Great White's Jaw, saru…" She stopped next to Isumi, who was still coughing on her knees. She picked her up by her tentacles, from which Isumi just swung freely. "I will admit that you put up a better fight than most prey, but as long as I have the speed of a Tiger Shark and the strength of a Whale Shark, saru…" She leaned close to Isumi's face. "you were always meant to be my food, saru…"

"That's funny, geso…" Isumi grinned. "I thought you would have to beat me first, degeso!" Isumi twisted her bracelet, bracing her legs and retracting her remaining tentacles. With a great thud, Isumi's body slipped out of Satsuki's grip and crashed onto the sand. The quake it caused the shark to jump back. "I still have the strength to fight, degeso!"

"The bracelets, saru!" She exclaimed. "So the notes I found were true, saru. Whoever wears them can control their weight at will." She muttered. "It can make a shrimp weigh more than a tanker ship and make a whale lighter than a feather, saru…" She smiled widely, her eyes wide with depravity. "With that kind of power, no force on this planet will be able to stop me, saru! Give them to me now, Ika Musume!" She stamped the ground, causing her to jet herself forward.

* * *

Meanwhile, the rest of the Lemon Shack crew had quickly moved Chizuru down to the first aid station, which had unfortunately closed early due to lack of beach goers. Thankfully, Chizuru still had her personal key that Goro had given them for emergencies. "Hah, next time he comes in," Chizuru panted as she made her way over to the beds. "Remind me…to waive his next meal…" Cindy quickly scampered over to the medicine cabinets.

"Let's see, uh…" She frantically looked around. "We need antiseptic and gauze, but first we need to clean the wound…" As she gathered the supplies, she silently thanked her MIT counselor for making her take those nursing classes for extra credit. "Eiko!" She tossed the antiseptic and a damp cloth to Eiko. "Wipe away the blood and make sure no sand is in the wound."

"Right," Eiko carefully began to wash out the blood and sand from the bite.

"Takeru! Call Goro and tell him to rally the other lifeguards to contain the alien fight to the beach." She insisted. "As much as I'd like to witness such an overwhelming battle play out here, we can't risk anyone being harmed in their crossfire."

"They aren't aliens, though…" Takeru replied, but did as he was told.

Erika huddled next to Chizuru's bed shaking. "Onee-sama…" She whimpered. She felt a hand on her head, she looked up to see Chizuru smiling at her.

"Don't worry about Isumi-san…" She breathed heavily. "She won't be beaten by some mean old shark." She opened her eye's sympathetically. "I can guarantee it." As she said that, everyone heard a loud crash. Everyone but Erika and Chizuru rushed to the windows.

"But…" Erika whimpered. "She said that you were the strongest here, geso…" She began to cry. "She told me that you were stronger than her, and you still got…" She stared at the bite on her arm. "I don't want to lose my onee-sama again, degeso! I finally found her again…" Chizuru lifted Erika's eyes to meet hers.

"There's something I've come to understand about Ika Musume over our time together," She explained. "She claims to be an invader, but she's never had the personality for it. She wants to protect the ocean from humans, yet she hasn't done anything to harm humans whatsoever. Do you know why, Erika-chan?" She shook her head. "It's because Isumi is an incredibly nice person, who won't fight those who don't hurt her friends." Chizuru placed her hand on her shoulder. "The reason I can beat Isumi so easily is because I've never given her enough reasons to fight…" She smiled as she stared back at Erika. "But _you're_ here now, Erika-chan…"

"Me?" She pointed to herself.

Chizuru nodded. "That shark is trying to take not only Isumi's life, but the lives of those who she holds most dear. That kind of motivation will give anyone a limitless will to fight." She smirked, a dark aura appearing around her face for a moment. "I _really_ wouldn't want to be Satsuki-san right now…" The moment she said that, the ground shook with a tremendous force…

* * *

Ika Musume braced herself against the impact of Satsuki's fist, with her increased weight keeping her stable. With a flick of her tentacles, she speared the shark with multiple jabs into the stomach. Refusing to back down, however, Same Musume kicked the ground again for another attack.

"I won't lose to prey like you, saru!" She yelled frustrated that her attacks didn't seem to be affecting Ika Musume at all.

"Hmph," Isumi smirked as she nimbly side-stepped the shark. "Now that we've been fighting for a bit, you're not so strong anymore, geso…" She taunted the shark, who once again charged straight. Truthfully, the strain on her muscles was making it hard to move freely. She was being crushed under her own weight. Thankfully, her hyper-fast learning curve seemed to be active during the battle, allowing her to accurately predict Same Musume's attack patterns. 'All of her attacks are thrust-based,' she thought to herself. 'As long as I can avoid the initial strike, she's left vulnerable for a precious few moments, degeso.' The moment she dodged Satsuki's next attack, she made her move. "Now, geso!" With a stomp that shook the ground beneath legs, she focused all the spearheads of her tentacles into Satsuki's side. With a scream that almost sounded like a roar, Same Musume was hurled into the stone wall, creating a large crater in the side of the stone.

"Beaten…by….a squid….saru?" Satsuki gasped, unable to move her limbs at all. "D-Dammit, saru!"

Ika Musume gasped for breath, returning her weight to normal using the bracelets. "And _that_…" She panted as she pointed at herself. "Is why I'm the protector of the sea, degeso…" And with that, Ika Musume collapsed onto the sand, instantly falling asleep.

* * *

**Wow. The predator has become the prey. Who would have thought that? By the way, I don't have a clue which species of Sharks Satsuki gets her strength and speed from, I just threw in a few simple species that I knew of and mixed them in. I know that a Great White loses teeth all the time, but they always grow more over a week al least. And I just threw in the Hammerhead reference just for fun...I just don't want anyone calling to correct my obvious lack of oceanic biology.**

**And whoa! Did Chizuru admit that Isumi might actually be stronger than her? What kind of chaos will await the group now that Satsuki has been defeated?**


	6. Will you get better?

**Author's Note: The bell has been rung, and a victor has emerged. Squid beats Shark! What has happened to the competitors though? Read and find out!**

**By the way, I own none of the characters of Ika Musume, but if I did, I'd be working on more chapters by now because its been on hiatus since the last volume. Heck I'd be more stoked than anyone if the author chose my continuation of the story as a muse for his chapters, although I'm pretty sure he's got his own agenda for the story. Anyway, here's chapter 6.**

* * *

"The Invasion Grows"

By: pyrotornado

Chapter 6

Will you get better?

Isumi groaned as she opened her eyes. She felt as though she had been crushed under the weight of a building, yet she didn't know why. "Ugh, my head, degeso…" She rubbed her head as she slowly sat up.

"Onee-sama!" Erika barreled into Isumi chest hard, forcing her back down.

"Ow, degeso!" She gagged as Erika's tentacles bound her arms in a crushing embrace. "Erika! Too…much…grip…degeso!" She managed to get out as her face turned blue.

"Kya! I'm sorry, oneesama!" She jumped back to the foot of Isumi's bed, allowing her to catch her breath. "I'm _sniff_ just so glad you're okay, geso!" She cried.

"Of course I am!" Isumi coughed. "Why wouldn't I be…oh…" Finally her memory started to wake up with her. "Same Musume, degeso!" She looked around, realizing her surroundings had changed. She was back in her bedroom, with her tributes to shrimp hanging all over her walls.

"Ah, so the valiant heroine has awakened, has she?" Eiko walked into the room carrying a wet towel and a bowl of fried shrimp. With a flick of her tentacles, Isumi instinctively snatched the bowl of deliciousness from her bed and began devouring the shrimp. "Hey!" Eiko bonked her on the head. "Even if you are injured, you still need to watch your manners!" She scolded.

"I'm sorry, geso…" She sighed, her stomach still rumbling. "It feels like it's been years since I had shrimp, so I wasn't thinking properly, degeso…" As she apologized, drool had already started to drop into the bowl. She then proceeded to eat faster than any predator they had ever seen.

"Well I guess it has been two days since the attack," Eiko shrugged. "It stands to reason that you'd be so hungry." She walked over to a shelf. "Kiyomi and the other members of your Invasion Club brought you get well presents yesterday," She handed a bag with plenty of snacks and gifts inside. Eiko sighed as she pointed to a large heart-shaped bag with chocolate that looks like shrimp stuffed inside. "And that one's from Sanae…"

Isumi looked around at all the gifts that she had been given. "This is all great, degeso…" She sniffed one of the chocolates that Sanae had made for her. It smelled a little too much like perfume so she put it back into the bag. "But what happened when I passed out, geso? Is Satsuki…?" She asked grimly.

"Don't worry about her, Isumi-san…" Chizuru walked in with her arm in a sling, which gave Isumi a bit of a surprise. "She's being taken care of elsewhere…"

'Strange…' Isumi thought to herself. 'I thought she would have healed by now, degeso.' She shrugged. 'I guess Chizuru is still a human after all, geso…' She shook her head. "Where is she now, geso?"

Eiko grinned. "She's been taken to Cindy's lab for treatment and study," She crossed her arms. "I don't think even _she_ will be expecting what's in store for her now…"

* * *

Satsuki held her lips with her fingers, a tear forming in her eyes. "My god, saru…" She cried. "I can't believe someone could actually make something so….so…" She gulped. "Delicious, saru!" She began to scarf down all the food spread out on the table before her. "I've never tasted anything so good in all my life, saru!" She took a chomp right into the baked turkey that lay in the center of the table, then continued to the plate labeled 'tacos'. "This beats fish by a long shot, saru!" Once again her attention drifted to another platter. "Hey, wait saru…" She sniffed. "Is that….?" She took a bite out of the fried shrimp. Her feeding frenzy halted for a second to savor the taste. "It is shrimp, saru! But how do humans make it taste so delicious, saru?" She giggled as laughed like a school girl as she continued to feast upon the, well, 'feast' that had been prepared just for her.

Cindy stared blankly as she and the Three Stooges observed her behavior through the one way mirror. "Remarkable!" Martin scribbled onto his notepad. "Two days of relaxation and medical help and she's fully recovered…"

Clark looked over his files. "I think it may be more than that, I believe…" He remarked. "Initial X-rays showed that several of her ribs had broken, and she had dislocated every joint in her limbs. No damage to the cranium indicates that skull is incredibly durable."

"So she has a hard head and a bottomless stomach," Cindy shrugged. "Where did you-"

"Further examinations showed that the joints had reattached themselves overnight, and with the consumption of the precautionary meal we provided her yesterday, her body absorbed all the nutrients and rebuilt her broken bones and fractures in a manner of hours." He closed his files and began typing a new form. "Now observing the shark-alien's reactions to various flavors of the world…"

"That's great, but…" Cindy tried to ask, but Harris burst in with a large sack of food.

"I've brought more food for the alien to try," He announced, carrying the bag to the latch.

"Wait I don't think that's-" Cindy was a little too late, as Satsuki leaped towards the sack the moment he entered the room. Screaming and pounding were heard, then Harris walked casually out of the room, his uniform in tatters.

"I think she might not completely understand where she is right now…" Cindy concluded. "She seems a great deal calmer than when she burst into the Lemon Shack a few days ago," She put her finger to her head. "I've heard of being crazy with hunger before, but…" She sighed as Satsuki started skipping around the room with a crepe hanging from her mouth. "I guess the interview will have to wait till later…" As she made her way towards the door, a thought still nagged at her mind. "By the way, where did you get the money to _pay_ for this food?" She asked over her shoulder. The Three Stooges flinched, unable to come up with an excuse. That was all she needed to know. "Figures you'd use the budget for this," She sighed. "With all the preparation materials we made with the grant money, our personal food budget is pretty tight." She glinted evilly. "It was so thoughtful that you would spend _our_ food money on her, because we were planning to go on diets after all." She huffed as she waved them off. "Enjoy watching her devour all that food, unless you want to join her for _dessert_…" She slammed the door shut behind her.

* * *

"Ow, ow!" Isumi griped, struggling to get free. "I'm fine, degeso!"

"But Ika-chan…" Sanae clung tightly to her waist, refusing to let go. "I let you out of my sight for one day and you get beaten up by a bully!" She whined. "I know me being there might not have helped much, but still I—" Isumi peeled off Sanae using her tentacles like a spatula.

"It wasn't a bully, it was a _predator_, geso!" She defended. "I got into fights all the time back in the ocean, geso." As she allowed herself to remember her years alone in the ocean, she felt her knees go wobbly. "So many close calls, geso…" She sighed as she curled into the corner. "So many near-death experiences, geso…" Erika scuttled down the hall to her big sister.

"Don't worry about it, oneesama!" She piped. "I wandered the ocean alone too, and I always ran away from scary predators, degeso." As _Erika_ allowed herself to remember her years alone in the ocean, she curled up next to Isumi. "So many close calls, geso…" She droned, mimicking her sister. "So many narrow escapes from death, geso…"

"Wow," Eiko stared blankly at the Ika sisters. "Being a squid must be tough…" She walked over to them. "You're on land now, Isumi. And you beat down a shark, for crying out loud!" She placed her hand on Isumi's head. "You should feel proud of yourself, you conquered you greatest fears by confronting them head-on." She stared down at Isumi's face. "Most importantly, you did it without killing her, and that's just the way you should be, Ika Musume."

A look of confusion crossed Isumi's face. "Really?" She looked down considering her position. Then, she smiled. "Of course, geso…" She smirked. "The road to becoming a great invader is filled with difficult choices to make, and the worst path to take is one that has been paved with blood, degeso!" She held her hand up high. "Even if she is my natural enemy, she is still a child of the ocean, and that makes us sisters….or at least cousins, degeso…"

"Onee-sama…" Erika's little eyes widened with admiration for her big sister.

"Ika-chan…" Sanae sighed happily as she realized that Isumi was back to her old self. "If only _I_ had been born a fish-girl like you, maybe then you'd call me a sister…" She drooled as she began to have more perverted thoughts.

"Once I've fully regained my strength," She continued, ignoring Sanae's delusions. "I will go and rescue my comrade from the clutches of those alien freaks, degeso!" She grinned evilly, imagining a scene where Satsuki thanks her and pledges eternal loyalty to her and her plans for invasion. So lost in her fantasy was she that she was unable to hear the phone ring twice then get answered by Chizuru. "With the predator on my side, this entire town will tremble before us, degeso…"

Chizuru walked into the room smiling. "That was Cindy-san. She says that Satsuki has made a full recovery and would like to meet with Isumi-san personally…" Isumi froze in place, her arm stuck in midair. Erika excitedly started waving her hands.

"Yay! Oneesama can recruit the shark-neesan now, geso!" She cheered, unaware of Isumi's fear. "Let's go right now, degeso!" She latched onto Isumi's arms and started pulling her down the hall.

"Th-th-that's okay, geso…" Isumi quivered. "These kinds of things need time and preparation and…" She babbled, fearing for her life. As the Ika sisters headed for the door, Chizuru, Eiko, and Sanae followed close behind.

"Ne, Aneki…" Eiko whispered. "Are you going to be okay with this?" She pointed to Chizuru's cast. Chizuru simply smiled indifferently.

"Oh don't worry about this little scratch," She waved it off. "I've recovered from worse than this…" She proceeded to lock the door behind her. Eiko's stared unbelievingly as her sister followed after the Squid sisters.

"Worse than a shark bite?" She gaped at her elder sister's resilience. "Just what kind of things did she do as a kid?" Eiko shook herself out of her thoughts as she rushed after her sister, with Sanae following close behind.

* * *

**Ah, that's a question we'd all like to have answered someday... Perhaps someone on the site should create their own idea of what kind of teenager Chizuru was growing up. I won't because I don't have enough focus to work on more than one story at a time.**

**Isumi wants Satsuki to join her army in hopes of invading the surface world! Yeah...I bet THAT will go over well... considering you broke half her body with a single attack. Although Eiko does raise a good point, because it's just not in her nature or character to take the life of anyone else.**

**Please reveiw. I crave opinions on my work and fuel for my ideas. Tell anyone you know enjoys Ika Musume to read my story and review. Also PM me if anyone has any more ideas on what should happen because my intention is to have this act out more like each chapter acting like another chapter from the manga: Lighthearted adventures that happen in a progressive timeslot with a continuously growing list of characters.**

**Finally, for all the cult fans out there, I have a message: The TaKo is coming soon...**


	7. Will you explain?

**Author's note: I finally got around to typing this up. Isumi and Satsuki finally talk face to face, and some of Isumi's past is finally revealed. I do not own any characters from Ika Musume.**

* * *

"The Invasion Grows"

By: pyrotornado

Chapter 7

Will you explain?

"As I said before, saru…" Same Musume said as she munched on a turkey leg. "My name is Satsuki Mendere, and I'm a Shark-type Ocean Walker, saru." She casually introduced herself before the family she had only two days ago attacked. They had arrived just a few hours after Cindy had called the house, mostly because Isumi resisted being dragged through the streets across town, and finally reached the lab. Satsuki had already devoured most of the food that had been prepared for them, so Isumi and the Aizawa's had to make do with crackers and tea. Isumi shook like a leaf in the wind as she sat in front of the entire family, while Erika huddled behind her.

"Th-that's fascinating, geso…." She stuttered. "B-B-but why did you suddenly attack our family, geso?" Satsuki glared at her as she took another large bite out of the turkey leg, which caused Ika Musume to flinch.

"Those…" Satsuki pointed at the blue bracelets wrapped around Isumi's wrists. "Everything I fought for was for those bracelets." Isumi stared down at the jewelry.

"Isumi's bracelets?" Eiko questioned. "Ah, those things that change her weight around at will, right?" Cindy, who had stayed to witness the interview, perked her ears up.

"What's this," She inquisitioned. "Some unknown alien technology that the Ika-Seijin brought with her? What is it?" She crawled over to Eiko, eyes beaming.

"They change the wearer's weight around at will, making them lighter than a feather or heavier than a ship with a twist of the dial, saru…" Satsuki explained. "Invented by Dr. Unzen Kanabe, saru…" Cindy dropped her notepad.

"That's right," She exclaimed. "You mentioned Dr. Kanabe before. So you were talking about Unzen Kanabe after all!" She dropped to her knees in shock.

"Um…Cindy-san?" Chizuru waved her hand in front of her face. "Who is Dr. Kanabe?"

"Unzen Kanabe was an extraordinarily gifted scientist who graduated from MIT just like us, except he did so several years ago," Cindy explained. "They say he was one of the youngest graduates of the century..." She began to type something on her tablet. "At age 14 he enrolled, and at age 16 he graduated with a master's degree in…marine biology?" She widened her eyes in surprise. "His most famous accomplishments included improvements to diving equipment, ocean friendly radar systems, and enzymes designed to eat oil that spills near drilling sites…" She turned the tablet so that everyone could see. On the screen was a young boy in a lab coat standing in front of an aquarium tank. He was wearing thick glasses, had unkempt black hair, and a worn seashell pinned to his coat.

"He's so young," Chizuru mentioned. "Is he really such an amazing person?"

"This is a picture from twenty-five years ago," Cindy sighed. "The aquarium you see here was what he spent most of his first bit of grant money on…" She started looking for more recent picture. "That's one of the reasons I became surprised when the Shark-alien mentioned him before, my family used to take me there as a child…" She turned the tablet towards them again. This time it showed a man in his twenties, he had thinner glasses, another lab coat, and the same seashell pinned to his shirt. "This is the last known photo of him, taken from his driving license…" Isumi's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. "About fifteen years ago, Dr. Kanabe went missing on an oceanic expedition. His ship washed ashore on a small island about a hundred miles off the coast of Nagasaki, where he had born and raised. The ship was intact, but Dr. Kanabe and all of his current research had been recorded missing."

"What had he been researching?" Eiko asked.

Cindy closed her tablet. "Like myself and the others here, Unzen Kanabe was a dreamer." She announced. "He openly expressed his beliefs and theories, though most didn't care to listen to anything but his grounded research, much like us." She closed her eyes. "No one cared about his dreams, only about his grades, his studies, his research, and how to look in front of someone, how to speak properly, and…"

"Um…Cindy-san?" Chizuru waved to get her attention. "We're discussing Dr. Kanabe, remember?"

"Oh right…" Cindy blushed, realizing she had been describing her own experiences. "For the most part, I was telling the truth," Cindy coughed. "Unzen Kanabe, although an outright genius, was a tad eccentric towards others. He openly expressed his beliefs in intelligent underwater life…" At that moment, everyone turned to the three fish-hybrids in the room.

"What, geso?" Isumi started to nervously munch on a cracker.

Eiko shook her head. "Seems like a more likely scenario than Cindy's alien research…" Chizuru and Sanae both nodded.

"That's right!" Sanae exclaimed. "This proves that Ika-chan isn't some gross alien!"

"How does it prove anything!" Cindy retaliated. "And don't call aliens gross!" She and Sanae started staring daggers at each other.

"Is now really the time for this, geso?" Isumi spoke up.

"Let'm fight it out, saru…" Satsuki gnawed on the bone of the turkey leg. "Alien or not, we were both born in the ocean, so that makes us residents of this planet, right saru?" She leered at Isumi, who proceed to shake again. Finally, Chizuru broke up the fight, allowing Eiko to speak.

"So…this Dr. Kanabe dedicated his whole life to learning more about the ocean in order to find….these guys?" She asked. Cindy thought for a moment.

"Hmm…" She mumbled. "I'm not sure…" Satsuki tossed the bone, picked clean, onto her plate.

"Back when I was out hunting for food back in the ocean, I came across an abandoned hut, saru…" She yawned. "I thought maybe the last Ocean-Walker to live there had left some food lying around so I checked it out, saru…" Satsuki grinned at Isumi's face. "As it turned out, the last one to live there had been the Ocean-Walker's pariah, Mirabelle Kanabe, wife to the human, Unzen Kanabe…" Isumi started to tear up.

"Ika-chan?" Sanae looked at Isumi's face.

"When I rummaged through the rubble, I found some of the good doctor's notes, which detailed his research and describes the weapons he designed to protect his wife from persecution, saru…"

"Persecution?" Eiko asked. "Why would they persecute her? What did she do exactly?"

Satsuki shook her head. "Humans aren't that accepted in the Ocean-Walker community, but Mirabelle fell in love with one, saru. Every time an Ocean-Walker has come to dry land before, a great panic would ensue and the humans would end up killing it like a monster, saru…" Satsuki leaned back in her chair. "That's the story we're told as pups, anyway saru…"

"So it was like a racial issue, huh?" Cindy mumbled. "Like when two people of different races fall in love in a community of only one race…"

"But…that idea is so old fashioned!" Sanae defended, scooting closer to Isumi. "I don't care if Ika-chan's a fish or not, I love her all the same!" She glomped onto Isumi's arm.

"Geh!" Isumi used her tentacles to push Sanae back to her seat. "Stop doing that, geso!" Satsuki chuckled.

"Regardless of one's personal beliefs," She continued. "The Ocean-Walker community shunned Mirabelle after she got married, saru." She turned her gaze to the Ika sisters. "When word got around that they were trying to have children, they got violent, saru…" Isumi looked down, quivering.

"Onee-sama…" Erika clung to Isumi's dress. Isumi put her hand on Erika's head, trying to force a smile.

"I'm not sure what happened after that, saru…" Satsuki shrugged. "Most of the pages of his journal were too damaged by the water after that, saru. The only other thing I found was a couple of drawings depicting those bracelets and what they were designed for…to give an Ocean-Walker unbeatable power, saru!" She grinned. "I guess the good doctor did alright, considering his daughter used them to take down a shark like me, saru…" She announced sarcastically.

"So, you really are the daughter of Dr. Kanabe?" Eiko asked. Isumi shook her head.

"I…don't really remember dad's face too well," she admitted. "By the time I was able to swim alone, he was already gone, geso. Mom took care of me and my little sisters by herself, geso." She started stroking Erika's head. "One day…" She tried to start, but the words got stopped in her throat.

"It's alright," Chizuru petted Isumi with her good hand. "I can roughly guess what happened, given Satsuki-san's information." She turned her gaze to Same Musume. "Thank you for telling us, Satsuki-san…"

"Keh…" Satsuki scratched her head. "I don't really care anymore, though saru…" She looked around the lab. "Even though this place is a bit strange, the food I've been given is amazing, saru!" She smiled wide at the memory of her feast from before. "Yosh, I've decided, saru!" She slapped her leg as she stood up. "I'm gonna live here from now on, saru!"

"Eh!" Isumi gaped. "Why don't you go back to the ocean, geso?"

"Why not?" Satsuki grinned. "All I ever cared about was how to make landfall without being killed by the humans, and I've already achieved that here, saru!"

"But…" Isumi was pushed aside by Cindy.

"Oh, Same-Seijin!" Cindy exclaimed. "You have no idea how happy I am to here you say that!" She pulled out a clipboard. "We have so many things to research and record, I don't even know where to start!"

"Uh…" Satsuki scratched her head. "Sure, doc. But first can I have a place to sleep, preferably someplace close to water, saru…" Cindy grabbed Satsuki by the hand and pulled her towards the door.

"Yes, yes," She replied. "We've had the perfect place already set up for the Ika-Seijin in case she ever decided to join us, but I'm sure we can modify it just for you!" Cindy was in her own little world as she pulled Satsuki out of the room, leaving their guests behind.

"Looks like you're finally off of Cindy's hook, Isumi," Eiko teased.

"Probably because she's part human," Chizuru smiled. "Isn't it wonderful that we now know your family name, Isumi-san?" Isumi, who was still reeling from Satsuki's hasty exit, shook her head.

"Huh?"

"Satsuki told us that you and Erika are Unzen Kanabe's daughters," Eiko explained. "That means that your full names are Isumi Kanabe and Erika Kanabe…" She gave them a deadpanned grin. "Who would have thought that under all those squid powers, like lighting up like a lamp and spitting out squid ink, you had some human blood in you, too!"

"Huh?" Isumi cocked her head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean? I don't have any human blood, geso…" Eiko shook her head.

"Your _father_ is a human, so that means that you are part human!" She explained exasperatedly. "Don't you even realize how babies are made?"

"Of course, degeso!" Isumi retaliated. "Mommy taught me all about babies, geso!" Everyone waited to hear her explanation. "A mother squid lays her eggs, and if a mother squid and a daddy squid love each other enough, babies hatch from the eggs in response to their feelings, geso!" Several moments of stunned silence passed by.

"Wow, geso!" Erika cheered. "That's amazing, oneesama!"

'There is no way she's that stupid…' Eiko shook her head.

"That's so wonderful, Ika-chan!" Sanae lunged from her chair. "When we live together in the future, let's fill the entire house with our feelings!" Isumi's tentacles slammed Sanae into the table.

"Any baby of yours would probably be just as crazy as you, geso!" Isumi angrily got up and headed for the door.

"Wait up, oneesama!" Erika chased after her.

Eiko shook her head as she helped Sanae off the floor. "Don't you think we should explain it to them properly, Aneki?" Chizuru shook her head.

"That innocence is just like her, isn't it?" She smiled. "And for the most part, her explanation wasn't completely wrong…"

"I guess not…" Eiko sighed as she carried the unconscious, smiling Sanae out of the room, with Chizuru close behind.

* * *

**How's that for a surprise? The incredible Squid Girl is actually part human! But more surprising than that is how mellow Same Musume became when she was fed. I guess the way to a shark's heart is through it's stomach after all.**

**By the way, I'm tossing an idea around creating a spinoff fanfiction called "Kanabe's Journal", which details the years that Unzen Kanabe went missing. I don't want this fanfiction to turn into some sappy drama like so many others before it. I already said I wanted to keep this story as lighthearted as the manga, so while Isumi's story will be revealed later on in this one, I'll be working on the love story between Mirabelle and Unzen in a new one. My only concern is that almost every character in it will probably be an Original Character, so I'm not sure it will be allowed in the Ika Musume section.**

**Please reveiw and IM me for your responses.**


	8. Is it a war?

**Author's Note: Sorry I haven't uploaded anything in a while. I just thought I had left everyone off at a decent cutoff point so I could give readers a chance to find my story...okay, that isn't the entire reason. I've been preoccupied in my life recently, and I was also having trouble deciding where to go from here.**

**All in all, it was probably a bad idea starting the fanfic at the autumn time-frame, considering how most Ika Musume chapters happen during summer. Well I finally got around to creating this saga of the story, the next saga will skip ahead in time straight to spring, when the beach will be open again, and I can finally start writing more freely about the new Ocean-Walkers that I intend to insert into the story.**

* * *

"The Invasion Grows"

By: pyrotornado

Chapter 8

Is this a war?

Eiko shivered in the winter wind as she wandered aimlessly around the damaged Lemon Shack. It had been three weeks since the incident with Same Musume and snow had begun to fall softly on the sea town. "Hah…" She sighed as she held her clipboard to her side, tallying up the expenses from the battle with the predator. "When Isumi first got here, all she did was punch a hole in the wall, but now…" She turned her attention to the various damages. "The kitchen's been wrecked, so we'll need to replace the oven, deep-fryer, and sink…" She picked up some larger pieces of wood on the ground. "Not to mention new tables and chairs…" A vein appeared on her forehead. "Repairs to the walls, floorboards, countertops…" She stared at the OCAS device, which had somehow managed to escape the carnage in the kitchen by mere inches. "The only thing still working in this place doesn't even belong to us…" She complained. "We should charge them for installing it on our property in the first place…" The sound of footsteps interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh well," Chizuru chimed. "These kinds of things will happen when dealing with Isumi-san's kind." She said nonchalantly. "That's why I planned ahead…" She held up an envelope for Eiko to see. It had an emblem that depicted a simple pot with the letters 'TI' on it.

"What's that?" Eiko took a closer look at the envelope. The widened her eyes in realization. "Aneki, is this…?"

Chizuru nodded. "I've invested a lot of money into this restaurant, and I won't let one minor scuffle set me back any…" She smiled, pocketing the envelope. "I had _this_ arranged shortly after Isumi came to live with us a year ago. Seeing as how much more likely damages are to occur with her around, I took the necessary steps to ensure our family's investments…" Eiko smiled widely, viewing Chizuru as some form of Buddha.

"Aneki!" Eiko cried happily into her sister's arms. "You're the greatest big sister ever!" Chizuru simply pet Eiko on the head.

"Now, now…" She assured. "I only insured us for what the damages cost, plus a few _other_ expenses I've been meaning to take care of…" She smiled, visualizing all the additions to the Lemon Shack she could make with the insurance money. The sound of footsteps in the freshly fallen snow outside turned the heads of the Aizawa's to the entrance.

"Oh wow…" Kiyomi gaped at the extent of the destruction. "This is worse than Ika-chan described!" Kiyomi and the other girls from the Invasion Club stared around the outside of the shack, not feeling safe enough to venture inside.

"Really…" Yuka remarked. "Was this really all done by Ika Musume and…what was her name again?"

"Satsuki-san…" Ayano corrected. "Ika-chan said she was a Shark Girl, so I guess she was trying to eat Ika-chan and Erika-chan!"

"Eh!" Tomomi gasped. "That's terrible! Why would anyone want to hurt little Erika-chan?"

"Even so," Kiyomi crossed her arms in thought. "Ika-chan told us that things have smoothed over between them, so I guess we're just going to have to trust her for now…" Eiko and Chizuru came out of the Shack to greet them. "Oh, hello Eiko-san, Chizuru-san…" Kiyomi politely bowed.

"Good afternoon, Invasion Club…" Chizuru bowed as well. "I'm so sorry that you haven't been able to meet for your club meetings recently, but we should have the shop ready to return to business when the beach reopens in the spring."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all…" Kiyomi waved it off. "We had actually come down today because Ika-chan wanted to meet us here…"

"Eh?" Eiko scratched her head. "I thought she took Erika and Takeru to the park today…" Before she could react, a white ball of snow crashed into one of the support columns, spraying her with the cold fluff. "What the-?"

"Hmhmhm…" Everyone could hear the laugh, yet could not determine its origin. "The stage has been set and the forces have arrived, geso…" The snow on the beach erupted in a cloud of white poof. "Invasion Club…we are at war, degeso!" Isumi stood proudly atop a mound of snow that had piled high on the sand. At the base of her little mound, Erika was joyfully tossing fluffs of snow into the air with her tentacles, while Takeru stood tough to her right.

The group of humans just stared at her for a moment. "Huh?" Eiko asked. "Exactly who are you at war with? And just what do you mean by 'war' anyway?" She didn't have to wait at all for an answer as a snowball pelted her in the face. "Hey!" She yelled angrily.

"This is the day I exact my revenge against all the labor I put into this place week after week, geso!" Isumi declared defiantly. "My Squid Faction against the Lemon Shack in an all-out snowball war, degeso!" As she said that, Chizuru pulled out her phone and began dialing.

"Uwa…" Tomomi exclaimed. "That sounds like fun!"

"It sure does," Ayano replied.

"Ika-chan always thinks of the most interesting ways to spend the day…" Kiyomi admitted, pushing her glasses up. She and the rest of the Invasion Club hurried over to Isumi's mound.

"You say it's a war, but isn't this a little unfair?" Eiko complained. "There are seven people on your team, and that's against me and Chizuru?"

"Don't worry about it, Eiko…" Chizuru winked, however since most of the time she squints to see, it wasn't apparent to anyone but Eiko. "What kind of rules are we playing by, Isumi-san?" Takeru ran over to his big sister, holding out a piece of paper with some rules scribbled on it.

"It's a game where one team must capture either the other team's commander or the other team's base," Takeru explained with a smile. "I helped draw up the rules, because Ika-chan's ideas were a little…" He trailed off, indicating that Isumi's original plans were not exactly 'fair'.

"You have one hour to fortify your base, geso," Isumi declared as she pointed her finger at the broken Shack. "We'll be doing the same with our own base in the meantime, so you had better be prepared for it, geso…" Isumi laughed haughtily as she disappeared behind her mound, leading her 'Squid Faction' further down the beach.

Eiko sighed as she watched them run off. "This is so stupid…" She shook her head as she pulled up one of the unbroken chairs to sit on. "Aren't snowball fights for little kids?" She asked her sister, who was studying the rules.

"However…" Chizuru slightly opened her eyes, smiling. "It sounds like fun, don't you think?" Eiko sighed again, remembering that her sister was into that sort of thing.

"Even so, we're a little outmatched here, even for you, Aneki…" She explained, trying to reason with her sister. "Not only does she have her little club, she has Takeru and Erika, not to mention those ten extra 'arms' of hers, twenty if you count Erika's…" The sound of wood crunching got her attention.

"I've already taken that into account, so I decided to call in a little _help_…" Chizuru admitted, turning to the sound of the noise. A certain grey-haired girl was standing in the door way, smiling wide with a hungry look in her eyes.

"You weren't just joking about my payment right, saru?" She asked eagerly. "A full course meal for my services, saru?" She asked with eyes that could almost be mistaken for 'cute'. Eiko stared wide-eyed at the new arrival, stunned.

"Oh…this won't end well…" Eiko mumbled under her breath, unsure if she even wanted this trouble-maker's 'help'.

* * *

**No, it will not...Of course, who better to have on your side when up against another Ocean-Walker? At least Isumi hadn't already recruited her.**

**On another note, not many of my original readers have posted any comments regarding my idea of writing the spin-off fanfic concerning Unzen Kanabe and his missing years. I've typed up one 'chapter' if you can call it that, and I'm working on the next one. It's a little different, as I'm trying to make it seem as though the reader is actually reading the actual journal, while mixing in some actual story with it as well. Look forward to it as soon as I am able to focus my attention and time long enough to type these confounded stories into creation.**


	9. Is it hard to invade?

**Author's Note: I go back to school in two weeks, and I'm gonna start moving my stuff back to my college apartment next week. I have a lot going on in my life right now, but I'll be working on this story whenever I get sudden bursts of inspiration. That's my process: sudden bursts of inspiration and timing. I can't write a single thing if the two don't sync up. **

**In any event, here's the next chapter: the tension is building between the Squid Faction and the Lemon Shack. Who will bring home victory? And who will be shamed?**

* * *

"The Invasion Grows"

By: pyrotornado

Chapter 9

"Is it hard to invade?"

Erika shivered in fright at the sight before her. "W-w-why are there so many Oneesama's here, degeso?" She cowered behind a table, far away from the Squid Girl helmets that were lined up on the shelves around them. Isumi had decided that for the snowball war, the Southern Winds would be their base of operations. In exchange, however, she had to let the owner and his daughter, Ayumi, be on their team. Of course, Isumi was skeptical, given the old man's track record, but in the end decided they would be tactical officers.

"Ika-neechan is taking this really seriously, isn't she…?" Takeru laughed nervously.

"Of course I am, geso!" Isumi retorted, jumping off the stage. "This war-game is practice for when I invade humanity, so I must give this one-thousand percent, degeso!" Fire lit in her eyes, indicating that she was completely serious about this one.

The Invasion Club, however, seemed to lack Isumi's tension. They had found a table and had gathered around it like they were customers at the restaurant. "This game seems really fun!" Tomomi exclaimed, throwing her hands up in excitement.

"It sure does," Ayano breathed into her hands to warm them up. "It's like we're actually launching an invasion, right?"

"These rules have been really thought through to make sure no one has an advantage over the other," Kiyomi skimmed through the rule sheet that Takeru had given her earlier. "Although, given Ika-chan's motivation, I doubt we'll stand a chance of losing…"

"Don't be so sure about that, little miss…" The Ayumi's father came up to them, hearing their idle chatter. "I was just observing some of my surveillance equipment and found some new intel…" He brought his laptop over to the table. "The Lemon Shack is calling together some more hands to help them…"

"Hmph…" Isumi shrugged it off. "That was why I gave them an hour to fortify themselves, geso…" She walked over to the table. "It wouldn't be in good sport to bowl over them without time to prepare, would it?" She actually had another reason, though. 'Chizuru would be really mad if we just ganged up on them, geso…' She thought to herself. 'Better have her loss seem like a game, geso…'

"Well, your plan may have cost us the advantage," He retorted, showing her a list of people going into the Shack. One look at the list caused the squid's blood to run cold.

"Oh, squid me…."

* * *

Sticking out like a sore thumb, a fake Ika Musume head was placed over a lamp post, with its eyes focused on the Lemon Shack…

"Thank you for coming, everyone…" Chizuru announced amidst the wreckage of her shop. "I'd like to apologize for the lack of sitting space, but we're still cleaning up after the 'incident' that happened a few weeks ago…" She put extra emphasis on the word 'incident', directing her displeasure at the guilty shark in the room.

"Yeah, sorry about that, saru…" Satsuki blankly apologized as she leaned against one of the support posts. Everyone could tell that she wasn't even slightly sincere.

The forces that Chizuru had assembled could not have been a more incredible group. Goro, wearing a red jacket and a striped beanie; Sanae, donned in a heavy-looking blue coat; Nagisa, wearing a green, hooded coat; Cindy, sporting a white jacket and an 'Alien-Print' scarf; the three stooges, wearing lab coats that had been buttoned up; and finally Satsuki, wearing a light, black jacket and a new pair of blue jeans, because the ones she had when she arrived were torn.

"I don't know how you do it, Aneki…" Eiko said as she looked around the room. "But you certainly know how to get people on your side…" She turned her attention to Sanae, who was rubbing her hands together for warmth. "Why are you here, though? I was certain you'd go join Isumi and her Invasion Club…"

Sanae looked up, putting on a face of maturity. "Oh, Eiko…" She shook her head in disapproval. "The mysteries of a woman's heart are as vast as the ocean, don't you understand that?" Eiko's vein popped up on her head, but she walked away. As soon as she was far enough away, Sanae turned to face the wall and smiled evilly. 'Once the battle starts, I'll use this as a chance to humiliate those hussies in the Invasion Club, proving to Ika-chan that _I_ am a much more dependable person to be with…' Sanae drifted off into her little world as Chizuru read out the rules for the game.

"Okay, let's see…" Chizuru read aloud. "The object of the game is to capture either the base of the opposing team or its commander. The commander is chosen among the members of the team and is required to remain within twenty feet of the base. The commander is also required to wear a bandana, any color will do, around their left arm. The scarf must be visible to everyone in play…"

"So one of us will have to remain near the Lemon Shack at all times, huh…" Goro thought aloud. "By the way, where is the other team's base?" He asked.

"I think it's the Southern Winds," Chizuru responded. "I tried calling in Ayumi as well, but her father answered the phone, yelling 'You are the enemies this time!' before hanging up." Everyone sweat dropped, remembering that the old man had a habit of getting directly (and sometimes rudely) to the point of anything. The result ended up being his daughter growing up a shy, pretty wallflower that had to hide her face with a mask in order to talk to people.

"Continuing on…" Chizuru cleared her throat. "There are a couple rules for the game: 1) If a player is pegged with a snowball by three separate members of the opposing team, the player is considered 'Captured' and must wait in an area designated by each team. This area is considered the 'Holding Pen'. In-action members cannot step inside the Holding Pen of another team, but Captured players may move about the defined space as long as they do not interfere with the game. If the commander is Captured, the game is over. 2) If a player is in the opposing team's Holding Pen, and two members of the player's team are able to grab onto both of the player's arms, the player is then 'Rescued' and may return to the game immediately following their release from confinement…"

"So even if one of us is Captured, two of us could mount a rescue operation to get them back in the game?" Cindy remarked. "Very interesting…"

"3) In order for a team to capture the opposing team's base, four members of the opposing team must be inside the base, and plant some sort of marker that deems it to be 'Captured'. This marker may be anything, so long as it's completely visible to the opposing commander."

"Marker?" Satsuki yawned. "So…like a flag or something, saru?" She looked around the room. "Do we even have something like that lying around, saru?" Her eye caught a glimpse of Nagisa, who was fidgeting against the wall. "What's wrong with you, saru?" She asked curiously, causing Nagisa to jump.

"Wah!" She put her arms up in defense. "D-d-don't get any closer!" She insisted. "I'm well aware of what you are, and I won't be turning my back on you or your Squid friends!" Nagisa was already nervous about Ika Musume being around, and when her sister washed ashore and almost pulled her under, she started to freak out even worse. When she heard about Same Musume, she considered leaving town for good. However, her delusions went full circle, and she once again felt it was her obligation as a human to remind the ignorant masses of the danger that was right in front of them.

Satsuki shook her head. "Whatever, saru…" She shrugged. "Humans like you leave a bad taste in my mouth anyway, saru…" Nagisa froze in place, obviously taking the shark's comment in a way completely unintended.

"The boundaries for the game are the entire beachfront, the road overlooking it, and the three blocks between the two bases. We are free to fortify each base as we want, so long as it does not compromise the stability of the structure….well that's obvious," Chizuru added, directing her attention to the scientists. "I hope you realize just how important it is for you to follow this rule in particular, right?" She opened her eyes slightly.

"Of course," Harris answered shakily.

"We won't allow any more harm to come to this restaurant," Clark added.

"We have some tools that we've been using in our experiments with the Same-Seijin that would be perfect for a situation like this." Martin pulled some suspicious gadgets from his bag, granting a worried reaction all around.

"Alright, so…" Eiko turned to her sister. "Who's going to be the commander, Aneki? You?" Chizuru thought for a moment.

"Hmm…" She put her finger to her lips, then smiled. "I think it should be Nagisa-san."

"EH!" Nagisa jumped at the mention of her name. "What? Why? Why should I be the commander? Then they'd all come after me!" She was on the verge of having another one of her panic attacks.

"I know, but I feel that out of all of us, you would be the person best at avoiding trouble…" She grinned. "Besides, I'm assigning you a bodyguard…" She turned her gaze to Satsuki.

"No way, saru…" She outright refused. "I don't wanna guard some human who can't even look me in the eye without freaking out, saru…"

"I'll throw in extra dessert with that meal I promised you."

Satsuki moved faster than Nagisa could react, putting her arm around her neck. "She's in safe hands with me, saru!" She declared. "Not one snowball will even touch her so long as I still stand, saru!" Nagisa, frozen with shock, passed out in her arms.

"I guess that's settled then…" Eiko sighed as she pulled out a black handkerchief and tied it around Nagisa's unconscious arm. "I guess all that's left is to set up the base of operations…" She looked at her watch. Thirty minutes till the start of the game. 'Let's see if Isumi is even half the invader she claims to be…'

* * *

**So the rules have been established. The laws of the battle have been told. What kind of strategies will come into play as this winter warzone gets torn asunder by the ocean's thunder!**

**...that was a terrible pun. I apologize for coming up with it. In any event, why does no one respond to my question about Kanabe's Journal? I have no motivation or inspiration to pull from if I don't recieve constant criticisms or compliments on my work. So review my work if you want to hear how Ika Musume/Isumi Kanabe came to be born between a human and a Squid Ocean-Walker beauty...**

**Finally, I know that I have yet to make true the statement I made a few chapters ago, but I'm still working on it. The 'TaKo' is a hard character to write about because we've only ever seen her twice. I refuse to introduce her until I've created a personality, background, and setting that will not shame her mysterious nature, because I am proud to say that I, too, am a fan of this mystery Ocean-Walker, and I will not disgrace her.**


	10. Is it guerilla or krill-a?

**Author's Note: I'm Back! Firstly, I really want to apologize for how long I've been gone. I had a ridiculous amount of studying I needed to concentrate on last semester, and I doubt I'll have any more free time this semester. I'll try to work on this story when I get the chance, but I cannot make any guarantees on release dates. I still have plenty more material I want to create, but reality seems to keep getting in the way. I hope you all can forgive me and my irregular upload times.**

**With that out of the way, let's get this snowball war started finally!**

* * *

"The Invasion Grows"

By: pyrotornado

Chapter 10

"Is it guerrilla or 'krill'-a?"

Outside the Southern Winds entrance, Isumi looked out towards the ocean. "Only five more minutes, geso..." She quickly scanned the perimeter before retreating into the restaurant.

"Ika-neechan!" Takeru called out to Isumi. "All of the fortifications are complete, and everyone has taken their positions." He reported.

"Tentacular, geso..." Isumi nodded as she made her way over to the computer, where Ayumi was fidgeting uncomfortably. "What is the status of the enemy base, degeso?" She asked seriously.

"Um...I'm not sure..." Ayumi admitted. "They spotted the camera overlooking the base twenty minutes ago and took it down..." She brought up four more windows, each showing a different part of the field. "But it looks like Father managed to set up the camera's around the immediate area in time, so we won't have to worry about surprise attacks for the moment..."

"He finished setting up _that_ as well, right geso?" She grinned.

"Yes," Ayumi nodded. "It is all ready to go, and we'll be able to monitor it from here."

"Good work, geso…" Isumi nodded in approval. She turned her attention to the doorway, her tentacles waving in anticipation. "Let the ink-vasion commence, degeso!"

* * *

"This is so stupid…" Eiko groaned as she made her way through the snowdrifts covering the sand. "I still think this whole 'snowball war' is for little kids…"

"Oh, don't be like that, Eiko…" Chizuru smiled as she looked back at her. "You're never too old to enjoy a game in the snow…"

"A game, huh?" Eiko deadpanned. "Then why are you wearing that?" She pointed to her sister's attire. She was decked out in a winter camouflage outfit from head to toe. Sewed into the side were her initials.

"Oh, I just dug this out of the closet for the game…" She smiled widely. "It really sets the mood, doesn't it Goro-kun?" She turned to the shivering lifeguard.

"H-h-huh?" he stuttered. "Oh, y-yeah… It looks good on you, Chizuru…" Bundled only in a light jacket, the usually shirtless lifeguard seemed to be taking the climate change harder than the others. 'When Chizuru called and asked if I could come help them out at the Shack, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind…' he thought to himself.

"Are you all right, Goro-kun?" Chizuru had doubled back to check on him. "Would you feel better if we had left you on guard duty?" She stared at him with a concerned look on her face.

Goro shook his head furiously. "No way! I'm just fine, Chizuru-san! Never better! I wouldn't even call this cold!" He started marching ahead of them, forcing a laugh.

"Oh, that's good then…" Chizuru smiled as she walked to catch up. Eiko stared at her sister unbelievingly.

"Do you do that on purpose, Aneki?" She asked blankly.

Chizuru looked back to her with a confused expression. "Huh? Do what, Eiko?" She asked, genuinely oblivious to Eiko's meaning.

"Never mind…" Eiko sighed, as she tried to catch up.

* * *

Tomomi, Yuka, and Ayano rounded the corner of the street, making sure the coast was clear. The only ones on the street at the time were an afternoon jogger and a few kids in the snow. No one from the list of people recruited to the Lemon Shack.

"This is Ayano," She whispered into her radio. "North-side street is clear. Making way to checkpoint, now…" She led Tomomi and Yuka past the street and into view of their destination: the local park.

"_If they are going to plan a surprise attack by going through town…."_ Isumi's voice rang in their heads. _"They will have to go through, or at least very near, the playground at the park, degeso. From the Lemon Shack, it provides lots of cover, and an almost straight route between the two beach houses, geso. Set up an ambush at the park, and attack the team they send in, geso…"_

"An ambush? How exciting!" Tomomi smiled.

"I wonder who's going to come," Yuka agreed.

"Whoever it is, we need to take them down or the base will be in trouble, as well as the Commander…" Ayano reminded them. The three girls from the Invasion Club nodded in agreement, and each found a place to hide for the ambush. Ayano hid herself inside the hollow rock that kids often played on; Tomomi concealed herself in the branches of a tree; and Yuka hid herself behind the shrubs at the entrance of the park.

"It's really cold out here," Yuka shivered. "I hope we don't catch a cold…"

"Oh, don't worry about that, dear…" A voice whispered behind her. "You three won't be out here much longer…" Yuka jumped, calling out as she felt a hand on her back, but it was too late. She was already buried in snow…

* * *

"We've almost reached the Southern Winds, why haven't we seen anyone?" Eiko muttered, making her way through the sandy snow.

"They must be trying to set a trap," Chizuru answered, her eyes darting back and forth along the terrain. "We didn't see them on the road above, so either they went through town or they are all holed up inside the restaurant…"

"If they went through town, Cindy's team will run into them before we do..." As she scanned the beachfront, something odd caught Eiko's eye. A very conspicuous-looking Ika Musume head stuck on top of a lamp post. The way it's eyes followed them was very unsettling. "Another one..." She muttered. "It's kinda creepy how that old man makes so many of these Ika Musume heads...you'd think he were possessed or something." As her focus was dominated by the creepy head, the shifting of the snow behind her escaped her notice...but not Chizuru's.

"Eiko, look out!" Chizuru pulled her sister quickly to the side, just a white blur rocketed right where she had once been. Three snowballs splattered onto the stonewall separating the upper street and the beachfront.

"What the heck!?" Eiko shouted in surprise as she tried to regain her balance. Now on alert, she quickly looked to where the snowballs had been fired, but no one was there. Chizuru cautiously approached the estimated firing spot and noticed a hole about ten centimeters wide. She circled away from the hole and wiped away the piled up snow.

"It's...another Ika head?" Yet another one of the old man's creepy masks was buried into the snow. This one's features seemed to have a large caliber muzzle extending from its mouth.

"That's right, degeso!" Said a voice from behind. Eiko swerved around just in time to dodge another snowball, this one hurled from the street. Isumi triumphantly stood on the edge of the outcropping. "That old man really outdid himself with these squiddle turrets, geso!" She laughed haughtily as she scooped up three more snowballs using her tentacles.

"Turrets!?" Goro yelled out. "Isn't that against the rules? Isn't that unfair because we're outnumbered?" He desperately looked around for some cover to hide behind.

"Not at all, degeso..." Isumi shrugged and shook her head. "The rules stated that in order to be Captured, one must be hit by three different people from the opposing side, degeso. These turrets are being monitored and controlled by Ayumi-san, so that's one. They were made and prepared by her dad, so that's two. So, by the rules you all agreed to, these turrets can only deliver two hits each, degeso..." She began juggling the snowballs with her tentacles. "That's why..." Suddenly, the three snowballs accurately headed for Eiko, Chizuru, and Goro simultaneously. "I'm the only one who needs to be standing guard here, degeso!"

"Whoa!" Goro jumped back to avoid the snowball. As he did, he failed to notice another lump just a few feet away. He didn't even see it coming. Two snowballs landed square in his chest, fired from the hidden turret in the snow. "Ow! Those turret snowballs are packed like ice cubes!" He yelled in complaint to Isumi, who just laughed at him.

"Then you should have worn a heavier coat, geso!" She was preparing three more snowballs, but was forced to stop in order to avoid two white missiles fired from Chizuru.

"So tell me, Isumi-san..." Chizuru called out, in her usual overly polite tone. "If you're out here, that must mean you named someone else the Commander, correct?" As she distracted Isumi, Eiko tried to close in on the staircase that led to the street. "In that case, who is it?"

"As if I would tell you, geso..." She muttered as she gathered snow with her tentacles. "I'm guessing it was the same for you to have come out personally, Chizuru!" She answered as she gathered it all into a single, large snowball. Twisting the dial on her wrist, Isumi's weight increase drastically, allowing her to carry even larger objects with ease. With a flick of her tentacles, she hurled the monolithic ball of white directly towards the staircase...and Eiko.

"Are you nuts?!" Eiko yelled angrily as she jumped off the staircase and onto the snowdrift below. The snow boulder crashed into the staircase, spraying white fluff everywhere. The kicked up snow acted as a smokescreen as Isumi dashed along the street, making a beeline for the Lemon Shack. "Come back here, Isumi!" Eiko attempted to chase her, but as soon as she stood up, a snowball hit her in the back. "Ow!" She turned around and notice another turret had been placed right behind where she landed. "Damn it!" She cursed as she watched Isumi run off.

"Don't worry about it, Eiko..." Chizuru said calmly as she made her way over to her sister. "Because Isumi-san is out here, that must mean her base is without any significant vanguard." She gently wipe the snow that was on her sister's shoulders. "We just need to capture her base and we'll win!" She smiled as she walked over to help Goro to his feet.

"If you say so, Aneki..." She took one last look at the disappearing Squid Girl. "Just you wait, Isumi..." She clenched her fists. "We'll be the ones with the last laugh..."

* * *

**Another thing I'd like to apologize for is any kind of differences in format you may see. My laptop broke near the end of last year, so I needed to buy a new one. This device runs on Windows 8 and I don't really like it very much. One major drawback is the lack of Microsoft Office already installed, so I needed to download the free LibreOffice. It has trouble reading the .doc files I used on the previous chapters, but I can work around it. But I digress...**

**On another note: It looks like the two teams are using every trick they've got to win. Just who is going to take the day? Even I don't know yet...seriously I haven't decided who should win yet. I have scenarios I can use to give either team an advantage, but I haven't decided whether Isumi-chan or Chizuru will win. Help me decide by leaving a comment to show you still care about my story, plz.**


	11. Aren't you a chilled squid?

**Author's Note: Hello, again! I just felt very motivated this week, so I ended up typing another chapter. For those who might be concerned that "Kanabe's Journal" won't be getting any more updates, don't worry. I intend to work on that story between the different arcs of this one. So you can all rest easy. Once the snowball war reaches it's conclusion, more romance between Unzen and Mirabelle will be on the way. **

* * *

"The Invasion Grows"

By: pyrotornado

Chapter 11

"Aren't you a chilled squid?"

_"Eh!? You're not going to be the commander, Ika-chan?" Kiyomi gasped._

_ "That's right, geso..." Isumi nodded sagely. "No matter how I turn it over in my head, I'm the only one who stands a chance of going toe-to-toe with Same Musume, degeso..." Sweat dropped from her brow. 'I really hope I don't have to do that, though...' she thought to herself. 'I was really hoping she wasn't involved at all, degeso...' She turned to face the others. "In my stead, one of you will have to fill in for me, so who will it be, geso..."_

* * *

"I need to at least make it to the house, geso..." Isumi panted. "From there, I can have a bird's eye view of the Lemon Shack, geso..." Just as she turned the corner, however, a human hand reached out and pulled her to the wall. "GESO!?" Isumi yelped as she was pulled close to the wall.

"Be quiet, Ika-chan..." She heard a hushed voice whisper into her ear. Isumi turned to see who had intercepted her run.

"Ayano?" She blurted out, almost yelling. Her mouth was covered by the girl's hand, holding a finger over her mouth.

"Shh! She'll hear you!" She pointed over her shoulder, over the wall. Isumi peeked over the wall and noticed Cindy, wearing some sort of white jumpsuit, scanning the area. "Yuka and Tomomi have already been caught...I'm all that's left..."

"How!?" Isumi whispered angrily. "The rules stated that it takes three people to capture a player, geso!" She looked around the park again. "Who else was there, geso?"

Ayano fidgeted uncomfortably. "About that..." She scratched her cheek.

"Ika-chan..." A sickeningly sweet voice called out. Isumi's spine shivered, but not from the cold. "I can _smell_ you, Ika-chan..." Responding to her instincts, Isumi scooped Ayano into her tentacles and pushed off the ground... just in time to avoid a barrage of snowballs.

"Sanae's here too, geso?!" Isumi cried out as she landed on top of a nearby house.

"Yeah..."Ayano nodded as she hugged the rooftop. "And one of those scientist guys is around here somewhere, as well..." She pulled Isumi down next to her. "They had already set up an ambush by the time we got to the park. Yuka was taken out right from the start, and Tomomi was caught off guard by some trick Cindy-san pulled off..." She hung her head low. "By some kind of luck, I escaped, but I've been hit twice already. One more hit and I'm out..."

Isumi nodded and looked over the edge. Cindy had heard Sanae calling out and had come running, but the stalker was nowhere to be found. "Where did-"

"Found you!" Sanae had scaled the wall and was now only a few feet away from the two from the Squid Faction.  
"Wah!" Startled, Isumi squirted her ink defense and slid down the roof, still holding onto Ayano. As she did, she gathered snow into four of her tentacles, using the remaining four to brace them against the ground. As she landed, she set Ayano over the fence. "Make yourself scarce, degeso!" She commanded. "Make your way to Point D7 and hide, geso!" Without even confirming whether Ayano had heard her, Isumi turned to face Sanae, who was now sliding down the roof after them. "I'll hold them off, hurry degeso!" With a flick of her tentacles, she planted two snowballs right into the stalker's face. Sanae fell straight into a pile of snow in the yard.

"Wah! Ika-chan!" Sanae cried out as Isumi bounded over the wall, making her way to the next rooftop.

* * *

"So bored, saru..." Satsuki yawned. She and Nagisa were sitting alone inside Lemon Shack, which was filled with an uncomfortable silence. The Three Stooges had lined all the openings that usually surrounded the restaurant with thin, aluminum sheets, blocking out all outside light save for the one entrance used to get inside and out. Two space heaters on each side of the room provide a comfortable warmth throughout the 'base', and yet Nagisa could not help but shiver like a leaf. "What's up? You cold, saru?" Satsuki asked offhandedly, though not really caring either way.

"N-No..." Nagisa stuttered with her eyes closed. _Why?_ She thought to herself. _Why am I in this situation?_ She took a glance as Satsuki yawned again, revealing a row of razor sharp teeth. _I just know that shark won't be playing the game by those stupid rules, so why was I singled out to be the commander?_ Apparently, the fact that it was Chizuru's idea to begin with had completely been blocked from her mind. A dark shadow fell over her eyes. _What if some kind of code was put into that rule sheet that could only be decoded by the fish-people?_ Nagisa's eyes began spinning as her imagination began to run wild again. _What if that Squid Person told this Shark Person to infiltrate that lab she stays at and steal their technology?! Awa... With that kind of power at their command, there's no telling what kind of evil they could accomplish!_

"Oi..." Satsuki called out, waving her hand in front of Nagisa's face. "You okay, saru? You're kinda swaying back and forth, and it's creeping me out, saru..."

"Ah!" Nagisa fell back in her chair, backing away from Same Musume. "I'm fine! Just a little tired is all..." She forced out a laugh.

Satsuki stared at her for a moment, which caused sweat to run down the surfer's face, then shrugged. "Whatever, saru..." The shark girl wandered over to the entrance. "I'm gonna go take a look around, saru..." She announced as she looked out the doorway.

Outside the shack, the once smooth blanket of snow was now covered with the tramplings of the players of the game. To her left, surrounded by a small fence made up of orange tape, were the two captured Squid Faction members, Yuka and Tomomi. Looking dejected, the two of them were slumped over a small table in the middle of the holding pen, which was being heated through a small space heater plugged into an extension cord.

"Ah..." Tomomi sighed. "We got caught..."

"I never realized just how atheletic Sanae-san was," Yuka huddled next to the heated table. "She hopped three fences to catch us off guard, then Miss Cindy got us with that launcher on her back..."

"Yeah, but the weirdest thing was how that guy in a lab coat appeared out of thin air like that," Tomomi pouted, face down on the table. "That's gotta be against the rules or something..." When she looked up, she noticed Satsuki as she passed by the holding pen. "Ah, it's the shark girl!" They immediately tensed up, keeping their eyes on the predator.

"What?" Satsuki asked, annoyed by their staring. "If you got something to say, then say it, saru..." She spat, figuring they were probably going to ostracize her for being a predatory Ocean-Walker, or some other prejudicial slur towards her race.

"You..." Tomomi said seriously, as Satsuki braced herself for the insult. "Isn't that jacket a little too light for playing outdoors?"

The three girls paused for a moment, as the freezing, winter wind blew through. "...huh?" Satsuki tilted her head in confusion. This was not the reprimand she had been expecting.

"I mean," Tomomi continued, oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation. "Aren't you cold?" She asked again. "I know that the black coloring of the jacket really emphasizes the grey of your hair, but couldn't you have found something a little heavier to wear? You might catch a cold in this kind of weather..." Apparently, the fact that Satsuki could probably rip her to pieces had not crossed her mind for even a minute.

"Um...what?" Satsuki sweatdropped.

"Yeah, and those shoes you're wearing are tennis shoes, aren't they?" Yuka chimed in. "You should have been wearing snow boots if you were going to play in the snow. They'll get ruined at this rate..."

Tomomi and Yuka continued to talk to Satsuki about fashion advice, but the shark girl was no longer paying attention. _What the heck, saru?_ She thought to herself. "Oi..." She interrupted the two humans. "Why aren't you...you know..." The shark tried to get her words out, but they tripped over her tongue. _Why aren't you afraid of me, saru?_

The two humans looked at each other, with looks of confusion in their eyes. "What do you mean, Satsuki-chan?" Yuka asked sincerely. "Ika-chan already told us what happened, that the two of you were friends now, right?"

"Eh?" Satsuki's head tilted in confusion. _Friends?! With that little squid?!_

"Yeah, and that you were going to join the Invasion Club when spring rolls around..." Tomomi continued, putting her index finger to her head as she tried to recall Isumi's explanation. "I think she said that because you lost to her, you would do anything she asked to make up for the damages you caused..."

"Oho...she did, huh...?" Satsuki crossed her arms, a vein popping from her head. "Well, I look forward to getting to know you, saru..." She said sarcastically as she turned her back on the two. "I think I need to have a _talk_ with Ika Musume, so I'll leave the commander and the prisoners to you, Harris-sensei..." She lightly kicked the ground, making an impact with something hidden beneath the snow and the sand.

"Leave it to me, Same-Seijin..." Said a voice muffled beneath the ground. Without bothering to check, Same Musume made her way to the streetside.

"So...I'm supposed to be you're servant now, saru?" She muttered angrily. "Well then...allow me to serve you a shark-fin special, saru!" She roared as she kicked the snow beneath her feet, creating a cloud of white in her wake.

* * *

Eiko collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath. "That stupid old man..." She growled. "Just how many of these turrets could he have made in such a short time!?" She shouted to no one in particular. Surrounding her were the depleted remains of twenty or so turrets. Chizuru had just finished disabling the last of the turrets around them, but she had still been unable to dodge them all. One had managed to peg her when she was pulling Eiko out of the way.

"You're right..." She sighed. "Perhaps Isumi-san told Ayumi-san and her father about this game before us..." Without knowing how many days the old man had had to prepare the turrets, or just how fast he'd put the things together, they could very well be set up all across that half of the beach. Waiting...like land mines...

"At least you've both dodged most of them..." Goro sighed. The poor lifeguard was covered from head to toe in snow, and he was shivering violently. "I'm starting to suspect miss Ayumi has it out for me..."

"Oh, don't be such a crybaby..." Eiko groaned. "You've already been hit all you can by the turrets, so those don't count..."

"Yeah, but they still hurt to get hit by..." He retorted, brushing off the piled up snowballs.

The three members of the Lemon Shack were still a good 200 yards away from the Southern Winds. Judging from how many unnatural piles formed on the beach, it would not be too safe to continue traveling along the beachfront.

"Let's head for the roadside," Chizuru motioned to them. "There can't be as many turrets along the roads. Otherwise, it would become a bother to the neighbors..." As the three made their way to roadside, another snowball pelted Goro on the shoulder.

"Again..." He groaned as he brushed it off.

"You're out...Goro-san..." A female voice came from above. They looked up to see a young lady with black ponytails leaning over the ledge, pushing her glasses up.

"Kiyomi...chan?" Eiko twitched, as the girl in glasses, casually began making another snowball.

* * *

**Well, well... Looks like Kiyomi's come out to play! Will this new development bring about victory or defeat for the Squid Faction? Will Satsuki's anger become a tank for the Lemon Shack, or a crippling failure? Will Isumi and Ayano be able to attain victory, or will Chizuru and Eiko snatch it from their hands? Find out in coming issues!**

**Please review!**


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